Thousands of people gather in the Zócalo to hear AMLO’s message

Tens of thousands of people have mobilized this Saturday to attend the rally that will be led by the president Andres Manuel Lopez workshop to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the oil expropriation and reinforce its machinery for the 2024 elections.

The president’s message is scheduled at 5:00 p.m. but thousands of people arrived at the Zocalo of the city of mexico since noon, some of them even arrived since early morning.

“I organized with my neighbors to come and support the president. We are going to celebrate that the oil is ours, and that this president is using it for us, the people,” Teresa Ortega, a 66-year-old housewife, told AFP. .

Taking advantage of this historic date, the leftist president will respond to the challenge launched by the opposition on February 26, which called for a massive demonstration against his controversial electoral reforms, later approved in Congress.

“It will not be a civic party for all Mexicans, but rather his response to the opposition that came out to protest against his electoral reform,” historian and political analyst José Antonio Crespo told AFP.

According to Morena, some 280,000 supporters of the president are arriving from different states.

López Obrador had already called his supporters to the streets on November 27 in the capital, days after another opposition protest against the changes to the National Electoral Institute (INE), which the president accuses of being too onerous and of having tolerated frauds in the past.

“I think that if the INE has to be changed, they are corrupt, they have already stolen an election from López Obrador,” said Eduardo Ramírez, a 22-year-old law student who was able to resume his studies thanks to a government scholarship.

“We are going to gather in the Zócalo on March 18 (…). We have to reaffirm our independence, our sovereignty, remember this historic decision,” the 69-year-old president urged this week.

He was referring to the decision of President Lázaro Cárdenas (1934-1940), who on March 18, 1938 expropriated oil in the country and left the sector in the hands of the State until 2013, when a constitutional reform once again allowed the participation of private capital. .

López Obrador promotes nationalist policies in the energy sector and considers the hydrocarbons sector essential, although he also promotes clean energy projects together with the United States.

The government reported that the local institutions that will participate in the security, prevention and road operation include the Government Secretariats (SECGOB), Comprehensive Risk Management and Civil Protection (SGIRPC), Health (SEDESA), Works and Services (SOBSE ) and LOCATEL.

(With information from AFP)