President Andrés Manuel López Obrador acknowledged that, since it became known that poverty and inequality had been reduced in Mexico, he has become much stronger morally. “From that point on, I am a different person. I became conceited. I am very happy; it is satisfying to see that progress is being made towards a more egalitarian country,” he said.
The President explained that the Baton of Authority that he will pass on to the Coordinator for the Defense of the Transformation, a religious indigenous tradition, means giving the it to the person who must provide continuity to what is essential, namely to help the poor and the indigenous people. He emphasized that it is not about the baton he received when he took office in December 2018.
On September 17, President López Obrador will make a supervisory tour aboard the Isthmus Train; it will go from Salinas Cruz, Oaxaca, to Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz.
According to a Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) report, on September 4, the number of the affiliates to the pension and health-care institute reached the 22 million mark, an all-time high.
President López Obrador detailed the itinerary for his tour of Central America:
September 8: he will have a meeting with Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
September 9: he will participate in the summit on drug trafficking.
September 10: he will meet with Chilean President Gabriel Boric and Chileans who were in exile in Mexico.
September 11: he will participate in the official act marking the 50th anniversary of the coup d’état that overthrew Salvador Allende. That same day he will return to Mexico.
In the section Who’s Who in Lies, it was reported that:
-The increase in the price of lemons was falsely attributed to organized crime in Michoacán. The Consumer Protection Agency (Profeco) clarified that the price variation is 6.29% for lemons with seeds and 4.48% for seedless lemons.
-Advertising executive Carlos Alazraki was criticized for falsely claiming that he did not have contracts with the Enrique Peña Nieto administration. The contracts are public and can be found in Compranet, Mexico’s Federal e-Procurement System. They amount to more than 27 million pesos (US$1.53 million).
-It is not true that the National Council of the Humanities, Sciences and Technology (Conahcyt) has reduced its scholarships. The budget for postgraduate scholarships increased 40% over 2017.
-Authorities denied that failures were registered during dynamic tests of the Mayan Train. The train stopped for supervisory tests.
