(CNN Spanish) – This Monday, the outgoing president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), gave his last daily press conference.
During his six years in office, he has conducted more than a thousand televised morning conferences averaging two and a half hours. Being called “Morning” is his way of keeping in touch with his followers.
In his last press conference, AMLO thanked his successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, for being treated with respect until the end and reiterated that he was saying goodbye “with great pleasure as I am handing over the presidential mantle to an exceptional woman.”
“I am leaving with great joy because I am going to hand over the presidential mantle to an exceptional woman, a woman full of humanity, love, humility and good feelings. It is difficult to find such a change in history as we are experiencing.
In addition, AMLO has promised his government job creation in Mexico, federal investment in youth, and the lifting of millions of people out of poverty during his six years in office.
“For the good of all, it is one thing to first declare the poor, another to lift them out of poverty, we count nine hundred and five hundred thousand people in our six-year tenure, and the same thing, inequality has been reduced,” he said.
The number of people living in poverty has fallen under this government, the National Council for Social Development Policy (Coneval) – which many analysts attribute to the minimum wage and direct cash transfers through social programs. Meanwhile, there is a lag in access to health and other outcomes are a matter of debate.
On his last morning, AMLO noted the damage caused by Tropical Storm John in recent days and said that President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum would be visiting the area.
“We are helping the victims in Acapulco, there is the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of the Navy, the National Guard, the Civil Defense, the Ministry of Health, the water is already receding, or the water has already receded. The flooded aclonias, we are providing hot meals, we are distributing groceries, there is medical service, The census has already begun to provide direct support to 15,000 affected households,” López Obrador said.
López Obrador highlighted the Republican Party's austerity policy when he presented the figures for his six-year term.
“Austerity is not just an administrative matter, one of the principles, republican, jurist austerity and Franciscan poverty we must also observe, happiness is not the accumulation of material, wealth, fame, titles, happiness is being at peace with our conscience. With our neighbors.
“We have been able to move forward because power and humility, not allowing corruption and creating an austere government,” AMLO said.
The last morning lasted about two hours. López Obrador was surprised by his staff with a video compilation of his career and a song in the president's honor.
During the conference, a watch raffle was also held among the attending journalists.
As he had promised weeks ago, the President took a photo with all the participants to conclude his administration's conference cycle.
With information from Mauricio Torres
