Tired of violence, corruption, Mexicans vote for historic elections



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MEXICO CITY – The Mexicans, tired of violence and corruption, voted Sunday in an election between a leftist populist promising to oust the ruling elite against rivals who warn that he would lead the country to economic disaster.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, better known as AMLO, said that he was going to transform Mexico when he won his third bid for the presidency, promising to oust the "mafia of power" who, according to him, looted the country and ruled for the poor. A lot of inequality, a lot of violence in this country, "said Hugo Carlos, the voter of Lopez Obrador, 73 years old." This situation needs to be changed. "

While Lopez Obrador, 64, held a prominent place in the polls, he worried that he fears of putting the country back in decades with an interventionist economic policy.

" I'm afraid some candidates make proposals that are impossible because they are very expensive to achieve, "said Juan Carlos Limas, 26, who has lined up in a Mexico City district to vote for Ricardo Anaya, who is second in polls for a right-to-left coalition

Lopez Obrador, who voted early Sunday, promised to give scholarships or pay apprenticeships to young people, and increase support All candidates berate the policies of President Donald Trump against migrants and Mexico, but voters are wondering who could best deal with Trump.

The Sunday elections at all levels of government are the most important in Mexico. came a referendum on corruption, corruption and other tricks used to divert taxpayers' money to the pockets of officials and empty those of the country's poor.

Some see this election as Lopez Obrador's best shot at the presidency after 12 years

"The corrupt regime is coming to an end," Lopez Obrador said in his latest election campaign on Wednesday. "We represent modernity forged from below."

Much of the popular anger was directed at the institutional revolutionary party of President Enrique Pena Nieto, whose market-oriented economic reforms have not yet benefited many Mexicans. Antonio Meade has experience in several areas of government – including the Treasury and External Relations departments – and this has convinced some voters like Roman Acosta, a doctor from the city of Morelia to the West [19659010] "Meade is the best person to continue" Anaya tried to exploit the youth vote by focusing on technology and new ideas, but he divided his own conservative party to take his candidacy and it is not clear whether his new allies in the party of the left democratic revolution will turn to anyone on the other end of the ideological spectrum.

Sunday is the first time that an independent candidate

Jaime "El Bronco" Rodriguez has beaten to attract attention with a campaign "handyman" mounted on horseback and by launching political bombs like his proposal to cut off the hands of officials caught stealing. Without the great machinery of the party, it was a difficult battle.

This is also the first time that Mexicans living abroad can vote for secret ballot races like Senators. More than 181,000 ballots were received and the 97,000 that the National Electoral Institute had recovered on Friday morning were already double what they had obtained in 2012.

By voting, Pena Nieto has promised to work with everyone who wins. "The president of the republic and his government will be absolutely respectful and will support the authorities who are elected," Pena Nieto told the press

. with modern voting technology and the institutions now in place.

In the two previous presidential losses of Lopez Obrador, he alleged a fraud. In his first defeat – just 0.56% against conservative Felipe Calderon in 2006 – his supporters staged protests of several months in Mexico City and he was billed as "the legitimate president"

. vote for that there is no funny deal.

"They should not dare to commit fraud, because if they do they will meet the devil," said Yeidckol Polevnsky, president of Morena's party of Lopez Obrador. "We will not accept it."

Yet, voting Sunday was largely peaceful, aside from the usual complaints about some polling stations staffed by volunteer staff opening late.

The director of the country's electoral institute, Lorenzo Cordova The party of the Democratic Revolution announced on Saturday that four of its members had been killed in the state of Mexico, in the west of the country. Mexico. The state government of Chihuahua, in the north of the country, said three people had been arrested in the border town of Ciudad Juarez for allegedly attempting to buy votes on behalf of the government. potential voters.

And in the state of Michoacan, polling stations in some villages were canceled after some locals declared that they did not want elections involving political parties, which they were suspicious. Some newsletters were stolen and burned in the city of Nahuatzen to prevent voting.

The Mexico City government reported isolated problems such as the late opening of polling stations, 17 stations short of ballots and the theft of 583 ballots. In the district of Iztapalapa

In the border town of Tijuana, northwest, Jorge Serrano Martinez, a 29-year-old engineer, said that he had voted for Lopez Obrador because 39, he wanted to "give the opportunity to another political party to do different things".

"He is not linked to any act of corruption and he has a history as a social fighter," Serrano said. "I think he's the least corrupt of all and the most honest."

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Associate press writers Maria Verza and Andrea Rodriguez in Mexico City and Nancy Moya in Tijuana contributed to this report.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press All rights reserved, this material may not be published, disseminated, rewritten or redistributed.

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