If you had the chance to start a country from scratch, you'd likely begin with what Mexico's next president promised after a crushing victory on Sunday: the rule of law, zero corruption, social assistance for the poor, fair wages, freedom of speech (and press), respect for human rights and an openness to private business and foreign investment.
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the leftist candidate who succeeded on his third try at the presidency, now has a mandate to remake his nation. And he has a lot of political capital. He won the largest victory in recent history and brought an end to decades of rule by center and right-leaning parties as voters clamored for change amid endemic corruption and skyrocketing violence.
However, Lopez Obrador's promise _ "I will not fail you" _ is about to give way to the reality of governing.
For decades, Mexico has been an emerging economy with a neoliberal economic model. It has embraced free trade through the North American Free Trade Agreement and with agreements with Asian and European countries. The outgoing president, Enrique Pena Nieto, also touts a robust economy.
One problem, however, is that half of the population of 127 million people lives near poverty levels, and Lopez Obrador campaigned hard for their votes. He pledged to improve social programs and increase access to health care and education, and promised employment for everyone.
The trick now will be how he delivers on such promises and on his stated goals of curbing corruption and violence. So far he has offered vague prescriptions for paying for his programs by gutting an inefficient and bloated bureaucracy and curbing corruption at all levels of government.
Then there's the relationship with the U.S., a sore issue lately fueled by President Donald Trump's call for building a wall on the border, and a harsh rhetoric directed at Mexicans living in the United States.
On Sunday night, Lopez Obrador offered a relationship based on "friendship, cooperation and mutual respect." Trump congratulated (via Twitter) Lopez Obrador for his victory and opened the door to work on common issues. "There's much to be done," he wrote.
That's an encouraging start given that there is a lot of work to be done. The two countries have to find a way to work together given that their economies are tightly interwoven. At $616.6 billion annually, Mexico is the U.S.'s second largest trading partner, just behind Canada.
Lopez Obrador won on a message of change. We have a sense of what he hopes to accomplish. Now it's time for him to explain how he will deliver.
