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LatinNews Daily - 09 May 2018

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Frontrunner in Mexico’s presidential election open to drug legalisation

Development: On 8 May, the leading candidate in Mexico’s presidential election, Andrés Manuel López Obrador of the leftist opposition Movimiento Regeneración Nacional (Morena) party, said that he would consider legalising drugs to reduce levels of violent crime in the country.

Significance: During talks with other presidential candidates held at the memory and tolerance museum in Mexico City, López Obrador said he would not rule out any options when it came to improving public security in Mexico. Asked if he would legalise drugs, he said “Why not talk about it? And why not – if it's what’s best for the country – approve it and implement it, listening to everyone’s input?”.

  • Public security is one of the key electoral issues. Twelve years after former president Felipe Calderón (2006-2012) launched a frontal 'war' on drug trafficking through military intervention, over 200,000 people have been killed and another 35,000 disappeared. Despite these figures, current President Enrique Peña Nieto has largely continued with the same security strategy as his predecessor.
  • Yesterday, López Obrador argued it was time to change tack. He said legalising drugs could reduce violence linked to drug-trafficking organisations. The Morena presidential candidate said he was open to dialogue and would request meetings with the Pope and the Secretary General of the United Nations António Guterres to come up with a “joint plan for peace”.
  • López Obrador did not mention his controversial plan to grant an amnesty for drug traffickers. Other presidential candidates implied this would be irresponsible. “We are in a worse state than ever,” said Ricardo Anaya, the candidate of the Right-Left Por Méxcio al Frente opposition coalition. “But there will be no peace without justice and justice is not the same as impunity”. Anaya's security policy centres on strengthening local police forces rather than relying so heavily on military intervention. As for legalising drugs, Anaya hinted he would be open to more liberal policies on marijuana but drew the line at harder drugs.
  • Another of López Obrador’s challengers, José Antonio Meade from the ruling Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), sees the legalisation of drugs as a public health risk. He defended the new law on internal security approved by the Peña Nieto government, which formalises the role of the military in upholding public security, but failed to come up with any new policies of his own.

Looking Ahead: Although López Obrador’s progressive ideas have sparked more public security debates, his stance on some issues remains fuzzy. Asked whether he would uphold the internal security law he replied enigmatically: “not yes, not no”.

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