The Mexican president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obradordelivered his last official Government Report this Sunday. In a speech marked by the achievements he claims he achieved during his six-year term (2018-2024), such as economic growth, an average of 1% per year that places Mexico in 12th place in the world. He also highlighted the 18% drop in homicides and improvements in the health system.
Before supporters who arrived at the capital’s Zócalo, the Mexican president presented himself before handing over the presidential sash to his successor on October 1Claudia Sheinbaum, from her same party, the National Regeneration Movement (Morena).
“Despite the pandemic and the global crisis triggered by the war between Russia and Ukraine, and after the economy fell by up to 8.5% in 2020, we got back on our feet and from 2021 to date we have grown by an average of 3.4% annually,” he said.
The president highlighted that, based on World Bank data from 2018 to 2023, “poverty in Mexico went from 34.3 million people to 24.7 million, that is, in 5 years 9.5 million Mexicans escaped poverty.”
He also said that “Mexico is considered one of the most attractive countries to invest and do business in,” citing a record US$36 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2023 and US$31 billion in the first half of 2024.
“During this six-year term we have displaced China and Canada and today we are the main commercial partner of the United States. For the first time in more than 50 years, the peso has not been devalued; on the contrary, our currency is second in the world in terms of strength in relation to the dollar,” he said.
The head of the Executive highlighted an increase of more than 100% in the minimum wage in real terms, “as had not occurred in the last 40 years,” reaching 248.93 pesos per day (US$12.45).
Regarding employment, it reported more than 2.3 million new formal jobs registered with the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), bringing the total to 22.38 million, while the informality rate fell 4.2 points in the six-year period to 54.3%.
“We are the second country in the world, and I did not even promise that I would be the president of employment, with the lowest unemployment rate,” he said.
Fall in homicides
The Mexican ruler said that, from 2018 to 2024, the daily average of homicides has fallen by 18%, from 101 to 83.
But he omitted that Mexico has registered a record of more than 170 thousand murders in the six-year term, although homicides have accumulated three years of decline after the most violent year in history, 2020, with 36,773 victims, according to the latest data from the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC).
López Obrador cited a reduction of more than 15 points in the perception of insecurity during his administration, down to 59.4% of the population, one of the lowest measurements recorded by Inegi, an autonomous agency.
And he announced reductions of 24.8% in the monthly incidence of federal crimes, 29.5% in theft in general, 37.6% in femicides and 77% in kidnappings.
In the fight against drug trafficking, he said that “during the six-year term, an average of 1,200 arrests of alleged criminals per day have been maintained.”
The government also reported the destruction of 11,297 hectares of marijuana, 66,738 hectares of poppies and 2,570 laboratories for chemical substances produced for drug trafficking, as well as the confiscation of 52,939 weapons “that have been smuggled in.”
“Better than the one in Denmark”
López Obrador said he is leaving a health system in Mexico “better than that of Denmark,” and defended his model of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) and the IMSS Bienestar, for people without public security.
“The universal and free health system, known as IMSS Bienestar, is now a reality in 23 states. This public health system is already the most effective in the world. I said it was going to be like Denmark’s. No, it’s not like Denmark’s. It’s better than Denmark’s,” said the Mexican leader.
In his presentation, he highlighted that in public health, IMSS Bienestar already has almost 12 thousand medical units to care for people who were excluded from the system.
He highlighted the creation of the Megapharmacy, covering 90 thousand square meters, in the State of Mexico to supply medicines to patients who have reported the shortage of drugs in the public health system.
6th Government Report, from the Zócalo of Mexico City https://t.co/gIDBCV6i7F
— Andrés Manuel (@lopezobrador_) September 1, 2024
Pending issue
The Mexican president acknowledged that he leaves the resolution of the case of The 43 missing students from Ayotzinapa, but defended the role of the Army in public security tasks.
“We are making progress in the investigation to find the young people of Ayotzinapa, that is a pending matter, but my term as president has not yet ended and we will continue to search for them, the young people,” he said.
On the issue of immigration he said that The United States must endorse a migration plan, without “walls” or “militarization” of the borders, which includes investments in Latin America.
He said that his government has exported social programs such as Sembrando Vida, to support farmers, and Jóvenes Construyendo el Futuro, for professional internships, to Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia, Belize and Cuba, to stop migration.
“(The programs are) to lead by example, while they (in the United States) decide and resolve it, because this is the best way to confront the migration phenomenon. It is not with a wall or militarizing the borders that the migration phenomenon will be resolved,” he said.
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