Mexico President Manuel Lopez Obrador Leads Massive Pro-Government March in the Country's Capital

Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in Mexico City Sunday in support of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who had previously organized some of the largest protests in the nation.

The "people's march" was in response to a sizable opposition protest two weeks prior against López Obrador's proposal to alter the nation's electoral system. It also marked the leftist president's fourth year in power.

The president led a march through the heart of Mexico City and featured mariachi music, singing, and a celebratory mood. Bus travels arranged by the Morena party, unions, and social organizations brought many participants from different Mexican areas.

He reiterated his themes of supporting the underprivileged and against oligarchy in a speech delivered following the march: "Effective suffrage, effective democracy, and no to re-election."

According to Associated Press News, López Obrador claimed he had not invested "a penny" of the federal money into the march, despite the opposition's claims that many participants were coerced into going. Interrogated protesters claimed they came voluntarily.

However, local governments or politicians who wanted a good reputation within the ruling party frequently provided transportation.

Mexico President Manuel López Obrador Has "Well-oiled Machinery"

With a popularity rating of about 60 percent, it is unlikely that President Manuel Lopez Obrador will have trouble drawing a sizeable crowd to a speech on Sunday in which he plans to summarize his achievements as president.

Since it is against the law for a president of Mexico to serve more than two terms in office, Lopez Obrador has said he will not try to change the constitution to do so. However, he hopes that his Morena Party will remain in power after he leaves office.

Several of Lopez Obrador's loyalists and potential successors, including Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum and Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, are expected to join him in the march.

A political scientist at Mexico's Tecnologico de Monterrey named Gustavo Lopez claims that Lopez Obrador knows "that for him to win elections, he needs oiled machinery that works all the time."

The opposition parties claim that Lopez Obrador is an "authoritarian" populist who is "militarizing" the country by increasing military involvement in infrastructure and security projects.

His efforts to restructure the impartial National Electoral Institute have been especially controversial (INE).

During his unsuccessful 2006 and 2012 presidential campaigns and his successful 2018 campaign, Lopez Obrador says the INE helped facilitate fraud.

The new organization he proposes would operate on a smaller budget and have its members elected by the public rather than by legislators.

The idea has been denounced as an attack on a vital democratic institution in Mexico, said RFI.

Lopez Obrador's political opponents have promised to vote down the reform, which would require the approval of at least two-thirds of Congress members.

U.S. President Joe Biden Will Visit Mexico in January, Says President Manuel Lopez Obrador

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said at a press conference Friday that he expects President Joe Biden to visit Mexico in the first week of January. He also confirmed that the January 9-10 summit of North American leaders, which will also include the presidents of Canada, will take place in Mexico City.

The conference was initially planned for December, but White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre indicated last month that plans were still being finalized last month.

The White House and the office of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau both declined to comment to The Hill.

The summits among the three countries' leaders have become an annual tradition, even though they did not take place under the Trump administration.

Biden hosted Trudeau and Lopez Obrador in Washington, DC, for their most recent conference in November.

Throughout his presidency, Lopez Obrador has been very critical of the United States on various policy fronts. Most recently, Mexico and the United States have sparred over energy policy.

The Mexican president did not attend the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles last June because of the Biden administration's decision not to invite the presidents of Cuba and Nicaragua and members of the Maduro government in Venezuela, which the United States does not recognize.

However, the Mexican president visited the White House the following month for a private session with President Biden amid concerns over other matters, such as migration and fentanyl.

Kamala Harris also met with President Manuel López Obrador during that visit and in Mexico on her first trip abroad as vice president.

READ MORE: Shanquella Robinson Case: New Details Emerge on Robinson's Mysterious Death in Mexico, Arrest Warrant Issued

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

Watch: Mexico protests: Thousands oppose electoral reform plan - From Al Jazeera English