New Mexican President Promises End to Secrecy

He says he'll hold press conference every day
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Dec 4, 2018 12:39 AM CST
Mexico's New President Says He'll Govern as 'Common Man'
Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador poses for a photo with the parents of the 43 missing students at the National Palace in Mexico City, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018.   (AP Photo/Christian Palma)

Mexico's newly inaugurated president kicked off his first Monday in office with something not seen in recent history—a news conference and a pledge to hold one every working day of his six-year term to keep the people informed. Two days after taking the oath as the first leftist president in decades of technocrats, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador made good on his promise to govern as a common man and end decades of secrecy, heavy security, and luxury enjoyed by past presidents, the AP reports. His workday began at 7am with a gathering of more than 100 reporters, photographers, and TV cameramen all trained on the new leader. "Isn't that a change that I am here, informing you?" Lopez Obrador asked.

While past presidents have rarely held news conferences, Lopez Obrador promised to do so on a near-daily basis, much as he did when he was mayor of Mexico City from 2000-2005. On Monday, Lopez Obrador tackled a case that cast a long shadow over the previous government, signing a presidential decree creating a truth commission to investigate the 2014 disappearance of 43 students in an apparent massacre. He then posed with parents of the missing young people, who displayed photos of their loved ones. Earlier, the new president arrived at Mexico City's National Palace in the same white Volkswagen Jetta compact car he used before taking office Saturday. He has refused the military bodyguards used by past presidents and travels with a small staff of aides who provide security. (He says that since being elected, Trump has treated him with respect.)

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