López Obrador Issues Fourth Government Report
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López Obrador Issues Fourth Government Report

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Sofía Hanna By Sofía Hanna | Journalist and Industry Analyst - Fri, 09/02/2022 - 13:49

On Sep. 1, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador gave his Fourth Government Report, which addressed achievements in the Mexican economy, militarization, national security, inequality, poverty, and the advances of the Fourth Transformation (4T). It is customary for the Mexican government to offer one Government Report annually, but López Obrador has offered reports every three months. 

 

“In these years, we have faced great challenges such as the pandemic and the economic crisis that followed its unfortunate arrival. However, it is these difficult circumstances that put us to the test and allow us to demonstrate whether or not the project of change and transformation [that this government] has put into practice is working or not. Today, in this report, I can affirm that despite the adversities, we are moving forward, as the results show,” said López Obrador during the Fourth Government Report. 

 

The first achievement announced by the president is that the country’s economy is returning to pre-pandemic levels. “We have managed to recover to pre-COVID-19 levels.” He added that today there are 21.24 million workers registered with IMSS, which is 623,330 more than before the pandemic. However, analysts at Pajaro Politico say that this statement is “misleading” and that the growth is insufficient given the larger number of people who need to join the labor market. Informality still predominates in the country. 

 

López Obrador added that, according to macroeconomic indicators, the poorest were the only ones who saw their income grow by 1.3 percent. In rural areas, there was an increase of 3.8 percent in income. However, this statement does not consider that Mexico’s inflation is at 7.47 percent, which means that despite the increase, people are earning less.

 

The president also addressed militarization. “The purpose is not to militarize but to achieve the healthy purpose of the country’s public security. I sent a legal reform to transfer the National Guard to the Ministry of Defense to consolidate it, and above all so that it does not become corrupted, as happened with the former federal police,” said  López Obrador. However, the president’s initiative has preceded an increase in the tasks assigned to the Mexican Army, including the surveillance of customs and several tasks related to the construction of the Mayan Train and the Felipe Ángeles airport. In terms of security, López Obrador said that the homicides and kidnappings have decreased. 

 

The president also said that “public investment has reactivated the construction industry.” But this is incorrect. A report by Como Vamos shows that the six productive sectors that concentrate 62.8 percent of Mexico’s economic activity have recovered their pre-pandemic levels, with the exception of the construction sector, which has a deficit of 7.7 percent. 

 

Finally, López Obrador said that “freedom of expression and the right to dissent are guaranteed as never before.” This comment causes conflict given that this year is shaping to be one of the deadliest for journalists in Mexico, with 16 journalists murdered to date and at least 11 of them in connection with their journalistic work, according to data from Artículo 19.


“I believe with optimism that the fourth transformation of Mexico will triumph, and personally, I feel good and in good spirits. I am happy because the revolt of consciences has reduced political illiteracy to a minimum,” said the president while closing his Fourth Presidential Report.

Photo by:   GOBMEX

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