A Superfluous Election

 As soon as I arrived in Mexico I noticed the posters, banners and signs supporting President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (commonly referred to as AMLO).  Tomorrow there will be a special referendum in which voters will decide whether or not he should continue as President until the end of his six-year term in 2024.

"We are going to vote that AMLO continues this 10th of April."

"The President is not alone."

The remarkable thing about this unprecedented election is that the referendum was called for by AMLO himself.  Most members of the opposition are boycotting the election which they view as a publicity stunt designed to mobilize his supporters and boost his fragile ego.  It seems strange that a President who is always talking about austerity in the government is spending around $80 million dollars on an unnecessary election.  It is highly unlikely that 40% of the eligible voters will participate, the necessary minimum for a referendum to be valid.  And even if it were valid, it is unlikely that AMLO would lose.  In spite of some erosion of his popularity, he still enjoys an approval rating of well over 50%.