Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says putting an end to corruption and curbing violence remain top priorities nearly a year into his mandate.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador acknowledged a grim tally of violent crimes and a weak economy as he delivered the first state of the union address of his six-year term Sunday.
Tackling corruption is a tall task. Mexico scored 28 out of 100 points in Transparency International's 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index, where a lower score indicates higher levels of corruption. That puts Mexico on par with Russia and behind countries such as Bolivia and Honduras in clean business dealings.
The president touted 145 billion pesos, or roughly $7.25 billion, in savings from spending cuts and other measures that have taken effect since he took office Dec. 1. His administration has confronted fuel theft from the state oil company Pemex, slashed public salaries, eliminated a major social program and decommissioned government offices abroad that promoted investment in Mexico.
"Above all we are Mexicans," he said, calling out by name business leaders such as Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim to thank them for their support. López Obrador equated the status quo of prior governments with"prostitution," saying it is unethical to defend the interests of a few while many struggle to make ends meet. He repeated an oft-used line:"For the good of all, the poor come first."
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