Mexico will on June 2 elect a woman to lead the nation. Just ten years ago, I would have not expected this historic event.
At that point Mexico had for more than 70 years been ruled by corrupt and inept men. That changed in 2008 with the election of Manuel Lopez Obrador, or AMLO as he is popularly known. Some on the political right suggest or openly allege that AMLO is a dictator. Blunt, outspoken and a tad eccentric, he is a democrat and a populist. It’s that latter trait that annoys Mexico’s traditional, white ruling elite.
The 1985 Mexico City earthquake gave a faint sense of political change. Here is an excerpt from my book that describes the immediate aftermath.
During the next twenty-four hours, the government would be exposed as thoroughly unprepared for and unable to respond to the disaster—unforgivable considering that Mexico is prone to severe quakes. The Partido Revolu- cionario Institucional, or PRI, had overseen every aspect of life in Mexico City for some fifty-five years. Now, it was shown to be incapable of mustering even a limited rescue effort. It had just lost its aura of omnipotence.
Many countries offered emergency aid. But President Miguel de la Madrid infamously said, “Mexico has sufficient resources. We appreciate the good intentions, but we are self-sufficient.”
As of today, it appears that Claudia Sheinbaum will defeat Xochitl Galvez to become Mexico’s first woman and first Jewish president.
I have no doubt that she will tackle the country’s endemic poverty and organized crime plagues. And she will strengthen the nascent democracy.
Ricardo Chavira Chicano 