On Monday, for the last time, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador strode up to the podium at the National Palace and addressed the crowd of journalists with his trademark greeting.
“Good morning,” he said. “Let’s go!”
For six years straight, López Obrador has begun each weekday like this, with a 7 a.m. marathon news conference broadcast nationwide.
The mañaneras, as the briefings became known, were famously long and often rambling. Over the course of two or even three hours, López Obrador, 70, would tout his achievements, disparage his enemies and otherwise set the agenda for the day — as millions of Mexicans listened in at home. He never once took a seat or a drink of water.
Now, after 1,438 consecutive news conferences, according to government tallies, AMLO, as López Obrador is widely known, is finally stepping off the stage.
Mexican President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum is flanked by Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval, left, and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador during an Independence Day military parade at the Zocalo, Mexico City’s main square, on Sept. 16, 2024. (Felix Marquez / Associated Press)
His final mañanera, held the day before he hands over power to incoming President Claudia Sheinbaum, marked the end of an era during which