Los Angeles Times

With Mexico presidential election, another step in global populism — but this time from the left

WASHINGTON - The victory of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in Sunday's presidential election in Mexico is yet another advance for the global march of populism, an ideology that feeds on both fear and hope.

In Mexico, however, populism comes with a twist: Lopez Obrador emerges from a leftist tradition in a sea of right-wing tendencies.

From the election in 2016 in the United States of Donald Trump to the rising leaders in Hungary, Italy and other U.S. allies, populism is posing new challenges to modern democracy.

An often anti-intellectual or xenophobic movement, populism capitalizes on existential worries among middle- and working-class populations who see their jobs being lost to technology or to lower-paid workers.

It can offer

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times3 min read
Review: Dua Lipa Is A Pop Star With No Lore On 'Radical Optimism'
Dua Lipa's "Radical Optimism" has a hilarious album cover, two songs about illusionists and what may end up the year's most succulent bass playing. What it doesn't have is the kind of detailed celebrity meta-narrative that's come to define — and to p
Los Angeles Times2 min read
Three Friends Drove From California To Mexico For A Surfing Trip. Then They Disappeared
MEXICO CITY — Last month, two brothers and one of their friends crossed from the United States into Mexico to explore Baja California's famous surf breaks. Pictures posted online by one of the brothers, Callum Robinson, 33, show the men gazing out at
Los Angeles Times2 min read
Three Friends Drove From California To Mexico For A Surfing Trip. Then They Disappeared
Last month, two brothers and one of their friends crossed from the United States into Mexico to explore Baja California's famous surf breaks. One of the brothers, Callum Robinson, 33, posted snapshots of their journey on Instagram, showing the men ga

Related Books & Audiobooks