Mexico’s president-elect has underlined his vow of radical change by announcing that his “bodyguards” are to be unarmed men and women who will include doctors, lawyers and engineers.
With political, gang and drug-related violence in Mexico at an all-time high, his unusual decision has been met with trepidation.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
There were “more fatal attacks on politicians during the last election campaign than in any other in recent history”, says Reuters.
Current President Enrique Pena Nieto has 2,000 armed presidential guards, comprising military personnel, police and civilians.
But Lopez Obrador, who won a landslide victory in last month’s election, says his own entourage will be more of an “assistantship” than a bodyguard corps. He said: “These women and men, and all Mexicans are going to take care of me. And when I talk about all the Mexicans, I’m talking about the soldiers, because the soldiers are the people.
“All Mexicans are going to take care of me, but there will not be this special [government] body to guarantee the protection of the president of the republic.”
The leftist future leader has promised a more austere administration, with plans to sell the presidential plane sold and turn the presidential Los Pinos palace into a cultural centre.
-
Home Depots are the new epicenters of ICE raidsIn the Spotlight The chain has not provided many comments on the ongoing raids
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
The pros and cons of banning cellphones in classroomsPros and cons The devices could be major distractions
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarrayIn the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
