The President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, on Monday congratulated the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, on the success of this Sunday’s popular referendum.
The head of state described the referendum on his social network Twitter account as “an unprecedented assessment” in this country.
López Obrador received more than 90 percent of the votes cast in an exercise held for the third time by a Latin American country (previously Venezuela with Hugo Chávez in 2004 and Bolivia with Evo Morales in 2008).
In a news story broadcast from the National Palace at dawn, the Mexican President declared that this was “something unprecedented” and a step forward to establish democracy in his nation.
He similarly thanked those who voted to continue through September 2024, to whom he said, “Love is paid for with love, I will never betray you.”
The President criticized the fact that the same number of boxes had not been installed as in 2018 and pointed out that many municipal administrations did not have them and that they were 30 or 40 kilometers away. He also criticized the high level of abstention, which made it impossible to achieve the goal set in the statute of 40 percent of the participation in the nomination list.
After the victory, the leader of the ruling Morena party, Tomás Pliego, also highlighted the success of the referendum, noting that this time in the 2021 elections, more people voted for the president than the voters of the National Action Party.
We can be proud that participatory democracy is practiced. We are millions with AMLO! (acronym for the President), he cheered.
López Obrador asserts that Mexico has maintained democracy
The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, said at midnight sharp that with the retraction consultation on Sunday we are asserting democracy.
In a recording from the National Palace released by national media this morning, the President described a very good vote, a good day. He received more than 90 percent of the votes cast in his favour.
It was a historic night as it helps the people of Mexico advance in participatory democracy to change their form of government at any time.
“It is undoubtedly a transcendent night because for the first time there will be a dismantling exercise, a consultation to ask citizens whether they wanted the President of the Republic to proceed or not, it is something unprecedented and it is a step forward in the purpose of enforcing our democracy,” he stated.
He gave thanks that more than 90 percent of voters wanted him to continue until September 2024, for which he told them: “Love is paid for with love, I will never betray you,” and told the opposition that there had never been one practiced this, “but now I had more votes to continue it than in 2006 when they betrayed me”.
López Obrador criticized that the same number of polling stations had not been set up as in 2018, pointing as an example that in many municipal capitals – like in Tepetitán, Tabasco, where he comes from – there are no polling stations and they are 30 or 40 kilometers away removed.
“Hopefully in the future it will be without the need to get to 40 percent for the election to be valid. That is now enshrined in the law of laws, which is the constitution, he claimed. But even without that, if you lose in a deliberation, then you have to resign because you can’t govern without the support of the people, without moral authority. If you don’t have moral authority, you don’t have political authority,” he added.
He also criticized the high level of abstention, which made it impossible to achieve the goal set in the statute of 40 percent of the participation in the nomination list.
In a democracy, you win or lose, and you don’t have to abstain or say, “If I’m going to lose, why am I playing?” So it’s not a democrat, because it’s about exercising your right to demonstrate, he said.
(With information from PL)