MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday moved closer to an unprecedented national vote on what he describes as the corrupt rule of his predecessors, alleging they allowed massive theft of public resources over decades.
Pitching a referendum next year, either in June or August, Lopez Obrador singled out the terms of five former presidents going back to 1988. He read out a long list of grievances during his regular morning news conference, blaming them for rampant graft and spiraling cycles of violence and inequality that have convulsed the country.
The timing of the planned referendum, which must be approved by Congress, means the subject of corruption in previous governments will likely dominate the campaign ahead of midterm elections next year.
