This Sunday, April 10, Mexicans reiterated their confidence in their president Andres Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) according to a predictable result in an unprecedented vote. Almost 93 million voters were called to the polls for a referendum on the revocation of the presidential mandate. The latter, more than 90% voted in favor of the president so that he can go until the end of his mandate, which is due to end in 2024.
With our correspondent in Mexico, Gwendolina Duval
This election, the first of its kind in Mexico, was strongly criticized by the opposition, which called for a boycott. Voter turnout is only 17-18% and around 15 million Mexicans voted for the president. Despite the number of voters, it is half as much as when Andres Manuel López Obrador was elected in 2018.
Very low turnout
This is the great disappointment of these elections: the turnout is extremely low, well below the 40% minimum required for the referendum to be taken into account and have any effect. Despite its high popularity, AMLO who initiated this vote and pushed hard for his organization failed to mobilize his voters.
A criticized referendum
From the outset, the establishment of this referendum was criticized by its opponents who considered it useless and considered an exercise in popular demagoguery. It has also been the subject of significant tensions between the President and the National Electoral Institute, particularly for budget issues. Only a little over 57,000 polling stations were made available to voters, about a third compared to previous elections.
► Read also: Mexico: an eighth journalist murdered, the profession demands measures from the president