Presidential referendum in Mexico becomes political football

By FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ
Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A referendum allowing Mexicans to vote midterm on whether the president should remain in office has become a strange political football involving all three branches of government. It’s strange, because there is little reason to hold the referendum. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador gets positive ratings from about two-thirds of those polled, and would no doubt win the vote. But López Obrador’s political style consists of constant campaigning: He was on the campaign trail nonstop from 2005 to 2018, and enjoys it. So he is demanding a referendum, though it will cost about $200 million , and electoral authorities say they don’t have enough money.