Mexican President to Give Presidential Plane to National Raffle Winner
Reuters

The Mexican president will be hosting the national raffle. The grand prize is the presidential plane. The plane is similar to the Air Force One of Mexico. However, the president does not like to ride the presidential plane.

The Luxurious Government Aircraft

For President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the presidential plane signifies the government's excessive luxury.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has been used by political personalities in the past. The political class who ordered the purchase and use of the plane are seen by President Obrador as corrupt people.

In 2012, the former president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon ordered the purchase of the plane. After four years, it was delivered to the possession of the Mexican government. Enrique Peña Nieto, Felipe Calderon's successor, received the luxurious air vehicle.

The reported value of the plane when it was purchased was $218.7 million. The plane was built with complete hotel-like facilities such as a full bedroom, a bathroom, and a conference area.

According to President Obrador, the plane is "too luxurious for a country as poor as Mexico."

After taking the responsibility to lead the country in December 2018, Obrador sent the luxurious presidential plane to a storage area in Victorville, California. Since then, he searched for a buyer.

The maintenance costs of the plane skyrocketed to $1 million. After one year in storage, the president of Mexico decided to bring the plane back to Mexico and decided to look for an alternative solution to the luxurious government asset.

According to an article by NPR, during a press conference held on Tuesday, the president revealed a non-finalized version of a raffle ticket. He said that the ticket design was still not final. He revealed the ticket through a large projector. The majority of the reporters present in the conference laughed at the image.

After asking the audience to contain their laughter, the president redirected the audience's attention to the bottom part of the ticket.

The words in the bottom part of the ticket showed the ticket's price amounting to 500 pesos (approximately $27). The total collected amount will be used for purchasing medical paraphernalia. A part of the collection will fund hospitals to provide free services to the needy. The raffle is dated May 5 where Cinco de Mayo, a holiday in Mexico is celebrated.

What do the Citizens Think of President Obrador's Plans?

Some citizens believe that the idea of the Mexican President was somehow a laughing matter and that it was a waste of time for further discussion.

Some critics of the leadership of President Obrador believed that his national raffle stunt is just his way to distract the people from the country's problems with crime and violence.

Some citizens are making a joke out of the idea of winning the plane. Some were making memes out of the plane's photo.

Some people made art using the plane and transforming it into residential quarters for an extended family. Some transformed it into a public utility bus.

Another humorous remark made by citizens is the issue of where to park the aircraft. Edited photos showed the plane park in the streets or a home garage.

Expected Profits from the National Raffle

The Mexican President aims to sell a minimum of 6 million tickets. This total number of tickets will be equivalent to $150 million. Based on the market value provided by the United Nations, this value is $20 million above its market value.

The winner of the raffle will also win a free 1-year aircraft maintenance assistance. The plane will be placed in a military field or an airport in Mexico City.