AMLO Sheds Tears in Last Press Conference and Says He’ll Leave Spotlight

(Bloomberg) - Mexico's Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador ended his last news conference on a sentimental note, giving his watch to a member of the press and pledging he is stepping out of the daily spotlight.

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Since 2018, the outgoing president held a total of 1,438 press conferences that started early in the morning and often lasted three hours or more. He only missed a few of them when he had Covid. His "mananeras," as they're called in Spanish, became part of Mexicans' daily routine — and also a powerful tool that helped him shape the country's political narrative.

"I want to thank you for participating in these conferences for nearly six years," Lopez Obrador told journalists at the presidential palace Monday. "This open dialogue ends today."

Keeping with the tradition, he used most of his last conference to boast about his government's accomplishments. Unemployment is low, wages are rising and tax collection remains strong, he said. Tourism, trade, and remittances from Mexicans living abroad are also going well, by his account.

While homicides have "been hardest" to address, their numbers have dropped 19% since he took power six years ago, he said. Austerity should be part of the government, he reminded listeners before praising President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, who takes office Tuesday.

"She's been respectful to the very end, which shows what a great person she is," he said, standing on stage in a black jacket with a red tie. "Anyone with a complex, either man or woman, would have rejected me" to try to differentiate himself or hers.

AMLO, as the president is known, appeared to tear up while listening to a song composed in his honor. He gifted his watch to a reporter who won it as a prize in a draw. He invited all those present to join him in a breakfast of tamales after a band played Mexican folk music.

But first he still had a few words about the crisis of the day: Aid will be handed out to 15,000 homes in Acapulco, hit by a storm last week before it could fully recover from hurricane Otis in 2023.

After leaving the breakfast, he reappeared once more to unveil his portrait that will be on display in the National Palace. While his predecessors were painted against more subdued backgrounds, AMLO was depicted standing on a balcony of the palace and overseeing a crowd in the Zocalo square.

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