Few Mexicans vote on whether president stays or goes

 MEXICO CITY — Fewer than two in 10 eligible Mexican voters on Sunday were willing to agree on whether their popular president should end or continue his six-year campaign, according to preliminary statistical estimates from the National Electoral Institute. year vote. Eligible voters participating in the referendum were estimated at between 17% and 18%, less than half of the participation required for the result to be binding.

As expected, early returns showed an overwhelming tendency to finish President Andres Manuel López Obrador's term, with nearly all votes in favor of the leader. Lorenzo Cordova, director of the National Electoral Institute, stressed that this is a statistical estimate based on a sampling of votes, but has a 95 percent reliability. Estimates show more than 90 percent of voters support Lopez Obrador to stay in office, he said.

It was Lopez Obrador who promoted the first referendum of its kind in Mexico. This is considered a safe bet. The referendum will only be binding if at least 40 percent of the country's electorate votes (experts say it is unlikely) and López Obrador's approval rating remains around 60 percent. With that in mind, critics decry the practice as a waste of money — nearly $80 million — as just one way López Obrador has assembled his base during his tenure. The expected reaffirmation of support makes sense for a man known as a perpetual activist, but it raises questions for a president who has been outspoken about austerity. López Obrador voted in central Mexico City early Sunday, urging others to vote. "The family, the school, the job, the union, of course in public life, there's always going to be democracy, and you have to be involved," the president said. Some in the opposition called for a voter boycott. Lopez Obrador's Morena party actively encouraged the president's supporters to vote. The president faced criticism from government officials and resources for pushing the referendum. How many voters will be the most important question.

Patricio Morales, an analyst at Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, said the lack of awareness about the referendum and potential disinterest among voters could weigh on turnout.

He noted that only 7% of voters participated in another referendum last year asking whether former presidents should be prosecuted.

The referendum fueled a feud between López Obrador and Mexico’s respected elections authority. Lawmakers from his party cut the National Electoral Institute’s budget and the institute said it didn’t have the money to pull off the referendum originally estimated to cost estimate more than $191 million. It refused to move ahead until the Supreme Court ruled that it must. Adjustments lowered expected the cost to $78.2 million.