What can the global left learn from Mexico – where far-right politics hasn’t taken off? | Thomas Graham
In a compelling analysis, journalist Thomas Graham delves into the political landscape of Mexico, focusing on the leftwing party Morena and its recent electoral successes. As the country gears up for the 2024 elections, Graham highlights how Morena not only retained the presidency but also secured a formidable two-thirds supermajority in the chamber of deputies, thanks in part to its coalition with Sigamos Haciendo Historia. This achievement stands in stark contrast to global trends where incumbents face grim prospects, particularly in the face of rising far-right movements. Interestingly, the far-right in Mexico was unable to field a candidate, allowing Morena to capitalize on its agenda centered around addressing Mexico’s deep-seated inequality—a theme that resonates with progressive movements worldwide.
Morena’s rise to prominence began in 2018 when Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a seasoned leftist politician, won the presidency with a record 55% of the vote. This year, his ally Claudia Sheinbaum further solidified the party’s influence by winning 60% of the vote, echoing the successes of past leftist leaders during Latin America’s “pink tide.” However, Graham points out that Morena’s approach to governance is not without its complexities. While the party champions social justice and aims to rectify economic disparities, it has also diluted some of its core principles in favor of pragmatism. This raises questions about the sustainability of its policies and whether they can serve as a model for other nations seeking progressive change.
Through examples of Morena’s initiatives and the broader implications of its governance, Graham illustrates the delicate balance the party must maintain between its ambitious social justice goals and the practicalities of political power. As the 2024 election approaches, the world will be watching closely to see how Morena navigates these challenges and whether it can inspire a new wave of progressive politics, or if its compromises will limit its potential for transformative change.
Thomas Graham, a journalist based in Mexico City, explains how the leftwing governing party, Morena, has promoted social justice but diluted principle with pragmatism
If you were to summarise the 2024 election year, you might say: grim for incumbents, good for the far right. Yet Mexico bucked both trends. Its governing party, Morena, not only retained the presidency but – along with its
partners
in the Sigamos Haciendo Historia coalition – gained a two-thirds supermajority in the chamber of deputies, the lower house, while the far right failed to even run a candidate. That a self-described leftwing party could have such success by fixing on Mexico’s chasmic inequality has drawn attention from hopeful progressives worldwide. But Morena’s programme has some not-so-progressive elements too. It is not necessarily one others could – or would want to – copy in its entirety.
Morena first notched a historic result in 2018, when Andrés Manuel López Obrador, an old face of the left who ran for president twice before founding the party, won a record 55% of the vote during the general elections. Mexico’s constitution limits presidents to a single term. But this time, Claudia Sheinbaum, a close ally of López Obrador’s,
won 60%
of the vote. Her victory was reminiscent of the heyday of Latin America’s “pink tide”, when leftist leaders like Hugo Chávez and Evo Morales were reelected for a second term with more votes than their initial victories.
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