Mexico President Obrador calls for first-of-its-kind recall referendum on April 10: Report

In what is being termed as an unusual development, Mexico will be holding a first-of-its-kind presidential recall referendum on Sunday, April 10. In the referendum, voters have been asked to determine whether President Andrés Manuel López Obrador should serve the remainder of his six-year term or be removed from office. Notably, the recall referendum has been promoted by President Obrador himself. While recalls are a common political tool around the world, they are usually initiated by the opponents of an unpopular government. However, in this case, the President has himself proposed for the vote and surveys indicate that he is likely to win, NPR News reported. 

While campaigning before his landslide victory in 2018, Obrador promised to let voters decide if, he should stay in office at the midway point of his tenure. Meanwhile, Opposition parties claim that Sunday's vote is nothing more than an "expensive spectacle of political theatre." They have also called for a boycott of the scheduled referendum. According to President Obrador, a recall referendum is a great tool for promoting direct democracy. His followers agree with the President's opinion, and while they will vote to keep Obrador in office, they hope to use referendums to remove incompetent leaders in future. 

Political leaders should be exposed to recall referendum: Mexico's President

Last December, in his most recent state of the union address, President Obrador stated that political leaders should be exposed to recalls in order to ensure responsibility. "That way, it's not like I am elected for six years and can just do whatever I want. No. The people must always keep the power in their hands... and any politician who doesn't obey, then revoke their mandate and throw them out," the Mexican President outlines, as per NPR News. 

President Obrador is misusing the recall referendum: Opposition

Opponents of President Obrador claim he is exploiting the recall referendum to bolster his popularity following a series of political scandals. They pointed out that "his popularity is eroding" due to rising prices and his inability to curb Mexico's raging violence. By advocating for a boycott of Sunday's poll, they hope to hand the president a political defeat by depriving him of the required 40% turnout to legitimate the election. According to Mexico's constitution, presidents can only serve for one six-year term and are not eligible for reelection.

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