The Candidacy of Andrés Manuel López Obrador: towards a Case Study in Electoral Politics

Abstract

This article´s focus is the candidacy of Andrés Manuel López Obrador as a guiding thread to understand the emergence of a potent left electoral option in Mexico in the past election. He is operating with significant disadvantages in terms of resources, and so if Mexico were a well-developed formal democracy much of what López Obrador has attempted in electoral strategies and media tactics would be regarded as  innovative.

But Mexico is still very early in the process of a transition, his approaches take on the character of institutional challenges. The study is drawn from surveys, qualitative studies and interviews with participants in the process.