Recall vote: Mexico uses a Swiss democracy tool

[Sherman A1]

On April 10 more than 90 million Mexicans will vote on recalling their president. The process which allows voters to remove an elected official was initially invented in Switzerland in the mid-1850s. But while only used once in Switzerland, recalls are becoming more frequent around the world. For good and sometimes not so good reasons.

The upcoming Mexican popular recall vote will determine the fate of the president in office, Andrés Manuel Lopéz Obrador. The 69-year-old head of state initiated the vote himself through a non-governmental organisation, betting a strong popular win would breathe life into the last two years of his six-year mandate. The campaign gathered more than the 3% of eligible voters – 2.75 million – needed to validate a recall vote.

One of the promoters of the recall campaign, Gabriela Jiménez Godoy, an active member of the governing Morena party, described the exercise as “a form of increasing democracy”, while Mexican Tiktok influencer Patty MirandaExternal link recommended a yes-vote so that “Andrés Manuel can keep working for México”. 

Meanwhile, all the main opposition parties, including the PRD, PAN and PRI, appealed to Mexicans to not participate in what they call a “plebiscitarian exercise”. “It is simply a waste of time and money,” they said.

This will be the first-ever nationwide recall vote in Mexico. It follows the first experience of a referendum in August 2021 on a new law intended to punish the former president for corruption.

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/recall-vote--mexico-uses-a-swiss-democracy-tool/47499008?utm_campaign=teaser-in-channel&utm_source=swissinfoch&utm_content=o&utm_medium=display

[Judi Lynn]

1. Mexicans vote on whether to recall the president, an election he wanted

LEILA MILLER LOS ANGELES TIMES
UPDATED APRIL 10, 2022 7:25 PM

TEPETITÁN, Mexico — Signs displaying the smiling image of Mexico's president hang outside many houses in his tiny, rural home town in the southeastern state of Tabasco.

Some residents of Tepetitán remember Andrés Manuel López Obrador playing baseball as a boy. Many of them danced in the street when he became president in 2018 in a landslide.

In recent days, numerous residents appeared ready to vote for him again.

"He lived in poverty, like us. He was raised in the campo," said Ardelio Morales Martinez, 56, a motorcycle taxi driver who had stopped Saturday outside Tepetitán. His taxi displayed a poster calling on people to vote for López Obrador.

Read more at: https://www.macon.com/news/nation-world/world/article260299160.html#storylink=cpy

[Judi Lynn]

2. Mexico president survives recall vote marked by low turnout

The 68-year-old, elected in 2018 for a six-year term, won a majority of around 91.9% in favour

By AFP
Published: Mon 11 Apr 2022, 7:22 AM

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Sunday easily survived a divisive referendum on whether he should step down or complete his term — a vote marked by low turnout, initial results showed.

With an approval rating of nearly 60 percent, Lopez Obrador’s presidency had never appeared seriously at risk, and the left-wing populist was himself one of the vote’s biggest cheerleaders.

The 68-year-old president, elected in 2018 for a six-year term, won a majority of around 90.3-91.9 per cent in favour of his staying in office until 2024, according to a preliminary vote count by the National Electoral Institute.

. . .

“Now we have the chance to change what’s not right. There have been presidents who, after being elected by the people, ended up serving other interests,” Benigno Gasca, a 57-year-old mathematician and musician, told AFP. But critics saw it as expensive propaganda and an unnecessary distraction from the many challenges facing the country, including drug-related violence, poverty and the rising cost of living.

More:
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/world/mexico-president-survives-recall-vote-marked-by-low-turnout