According to a count by the National Electoral Institute (INE), only 17-18% of voters turned out to vote

López Obrador wins recall referendum with minimal participation

photo_camera REUTERS/EDGARD GARRIDO - The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador

Mexico decided last Sunday to keep Andrés López Obrador as president of the nation. More than 92.82 million Mexicans were called to the polls in a referendum on the renewal of the mandate that was favourable to the current president, although the turnout was less than 20%, with the presence of 40% of the electoral roll being necessary for the consultation to be binding.

"Let no one forget that it is the people who are in charge, the people put in and the people take out", López Obrador told the press after leaving the polling station.

Of the few citizens who went to the polls, between 90.3 and 91.9% voted in favour of the continuity of the Mexican president, who will remain in office for the three years remaining until the next elections.

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Only between 6.4 and 7.8% voted to recall the president, according to Lorenzo Córdova, president of the National Electoral Institute (INE).

The question that appeared on the ballots was: "Do you agree that Andrés Manuel López Obrador, president of the United Mexican States, should have his mandate revoked due to a loss of confidence or should he continue as president of the Republic until the end of his term?"

The holding of the referendum sparked comments from the opposition, who called it a "failure", and pointed to the misuse of money that was spent "unnecessarily" when other national emergencies could have been addressed.
 

Low turnout

The national referendum had a low turnout among Mexican citizens, dealing a blow to López Obrador, who had pinned his hopes for a new impetus to his pending legislature until 2024 on these votes.

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The national referendum had a low turnout among Mexican citizens, dealing a blow to López Obrador, who had pinned his hopes for a new impetus to his pending legislature until 2024 on these votes.

The call needed the participation of 40% of the Mexican population to be considered binding. However, petitions from opposition parties urging citizens not to participate in the consultation proved effective, leaving a final turnout of less than 20%. This situation poses a negative and complex scenario for the remainder of Andrés López Obrador's term in office.

Mario Delgado, the party's national leader, assured that the preliminary result of the consultation is "a success" for the president and for the party, and considered that "a good turnout figure" was achieved, as usually in federal elections it is not usually around 50%.

"Between 15 and 17 million people voted for the president," he said, that is, approximately half of the votes he obtained in the 2018 presidential elections. 
Americas Coordinator: José Antonio Sierra.
 

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