In this election, Mexicans were made to choose between two abysmally different stories.
On the one hand, the story of hope. A narrative whose main argument is that Mexico is going in the right direction. There is a long way to go, but we are on the path to putting the poor first and improving the purchasing power of Mexican working families.
On the other hand, the story of fear. Of bitterness. The idea that López Obrador has destroyed Mexico, that we were better off before and that, if we continued on our current path, we would soon become a dictatorship.
Today the voters have spoken. With unprecedented forcefulness, they told us that, in their opinion, the first narrative is correct.
Mexico wants to put hope above fear. Generosity over rancor. In the opinion of an overwhelming majority, the country is on a better path now than it was before.
The numbers are evident. The election was an outcry. On an election day that is historic in size and in the forcefulness of the message, the Mexican said “no more.” No more a country that puts a handful above the rest. No longer a country of poverty and inequalities.
What happened in this election was also a slap in the face to the ideologues of the democratic transition. To those who for decades have argued that, decades ago, Mexico had become a democracy. But they couldn’t explain to us why, despite the fact that Mexico was an electoral democracy of checks and balances, of autonomous institutions and with an exemplary electoral institute, it was not able to give results to the majority of the people.
The ideologues of the transition defend and have always defended a procedural democracy, which, in reality, was a farce. That it was a cruel dictatorship against the poor with fabulous autonomous institutions.
For them, the message of this election was very harsh: if you want to “save liberal democracy” you cannot continue paying lip service to democracy. They have to start by building an agenda that addresses the needs of the people and stop focusing the discussion on purely procedural issues.
If the results released on the night of the count hold. There will be a high possibility that Morena and her allies will achieve a qualified majority in both chambers. Even if he doesn’t do it, they can convince a few deputies from any opposition force and achieve it. This is something not seen since 1985.
This is a call to attention to the opposition, especially the PRI-PAN. His strategy in this election was not a failure, it was a complete failure. A failure never seen in the democratic history of Mexico. They didn’t understand the country, not even remotely. Party leaders must resign if they have dignity.
Sheinbaum’s democratic victory is unprecedented since 1988. The country spoke. And it is up to the opposition to regroup. It is urgent for them to do so.
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