Obrador the Demagogue

The leftist candidate in Mexico's presidential election doesn't appear to have any real evidence that he was unfairly denied victory, but that's not stopping him from whipping his supporters into a righteous frenzy:

Downtown Mexico City swelled Saturday with the accumulated frustration and rage of the poor, who were stoked into a sign-waving, fist-pumping frenzy by new fraud allegations that failed populist candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador hopes will overturn the results of Mexico's presidential election.

López Obrador ignited the smoldering emotions of his followers Saturday morning, alleging for the first time that Mexico's electoral commission had rigged its computers before the July 2 election to ensure the half-percentage-point victory of Felipe Calderón, a champion of free trade. In a news conference before the rally, López Obrador called Calderón "an employee" of Mexico's powerful upper classes and said a victory by his conservative opponent would be "morally impossible."

López Obrador added a new layer of complexity to the crisis by saying he not only would challenge the results in the country's special elections court but also would attempt to have the election declared illegal by Mexico's Supreme Court. That strategy presages a constitutional confrontation because according to many legal experts the special elections court is the only body that can hear election challenges.

Calderón was declared the winner Thursday and has begun publicly presenting his plans for Mexico, even though López Obrador has refused to concede. European Union election observers have said they found no significant irregularities in the vote, and many Mexicans appeared to accept Calderón as their next president.

Gregory Rodriguez of the Los Angeles Times accuses Obrador of doing his best to destroy Mexicans' confidence in their newly democratic political system:

Throughout Mexico's presidential campaign, critics accused Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of harboring an authoritarian streak. Long before last Sunday's election, they feared that the charismatic, populist ex-mayor of Mexico City would refuse to accept a close defeat. And, to Mexico's misfortune, they were right.

Lopez Obrador is, of course, within his rights to challenge any presumed irregularities. But he has gone much further than that. Indignant over his loss, he has accused Mexico's Federal Electoral Institute of "manipulating" votes. In so doing, he is not only impugning the credibility of one of the nation's most trusted organizations, he is encouraging the type of cynicism about politics that helped semi-authoritarian regimes maintain power in Mexico for most of the 20th century.

[...]

The electoral system stands out as one of the more positive achievements in a still often lawless society. Foreign election observers have called last Sunday's contest transparent and largely free of problems. So why would a populist candidate want to impugn the credibility of the most trusted institution in a fledgling democracy?

Because populism traditionally thrives in profoundly unequal societies where the dispossessed don't trust the system to solve their problems; where they turn, instead, to charismatic figures they hope will take on the state, defeat it and funnel its largesse away from the elite and toward the poor. They put their faith in leaders rather than in democratic processes. It's a recipe for authoritarianism.

So even as Mexico is becoming a more open society, Lopez Obrador is appealing to that residual mistrust.

It's true that for many Mexicans, democracy has not translated into expected improvements in daily life. But it's foolish to think that any real economic or social advances will be made by taking the country backward into an era of overweening political cynicism.

Damian P.

Posted by damian at July 9, 2006 10:29 AM