“Mexico’s Fourth Transformation offers many lessons relevant to the UK and Europe.”
By David Raby
You wouldn’t know it from the media, but Mexico is now in the seventh year of a profound democratic transformation which has pioneered social justice, equality, economic development, and sovereignty.
The election in 2018 of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) marked the end of decades of growing inequality, corruption and repression. AMLO identified corruption as the root of Mexico’s problems and promised the ‘Fourth Transformation’ (4T) in the country’s history: the first three (Independence from Spain in 1810-21, the liberal Reform of 1855-67 separating Church and State, and the 1910-21 Revolution) brought much progress but at the cost of violent conflict. The 4T is peaceful and democratic.
AMLO’s philosophy of Mexican Humanism goes by the principle “For the good of all, first the poor”: private investment is welcome, but the public interest must always come first. He promised “Civic Austerity”: austerity for the rich, not the poor, and led by example, slashing his own presidential salary by more than 50% and calling for all high public officials to do the same. No more luxury hotels, expense-account lunches, or private jets: officials must travel economy class.
Public investment without debt and inflation
Many on the left were nonplussed by AMLO’s pledge not to raise taxes, when tax levels are low in Mexico anyway; but he insisted that all must pay their taxes, with no exceptions or exemptions, and that big corporations and billionaires must pay. He greatly strengthened the Tax Collection Department of the Finance Ministry and encouraged investigation and legal proceedings against corruption. The result has been a huge increase in revenue, which has financed welfare programmes and public infrastructure investment.
By maintaining fiscal stability, avoiding debt and inflation, the 4T governments have, in practice, won the support of many Mexican and foreign business interests, and the peso has actually appreciated slightly against the dollar. This has enabled them to restore national public control (in effect, partial nationalisation) of oil, gas, electricity, and lithium, with the national oil company PEMEX and the Federal Electricity Commission CFE (almost entirely privatised by corrupt neoliberal governments over the previous three decades) now serving the public interest. There has also been massive public investment in restoring rail passenger services, roads, airports, irrigation works and other enterprises, prioritising deprived areas.
A multitude of social reform programmes
AMLO and his Morena party (Movement for National Regeneration) had majorities in both houses of the Mexican Congress and in many of the country’s 32 states. They set about creating a genuine welfare state for the first time, with universal old-age pensions, incapacity benefit, apprenticeships for young people, scholarships or grants for students from deprived backgrounds at all levels of public education, and a Mexican NHS with free universal healthcare. All of this for the first time ever.
Other programmes included Sembrando Vida (Sowing Life), a vast agroforestry scheme based on grants and technical assistance to small peasant farmers, which has provided assistance to 440,000 peasant families and reforested over 1m hectares. Other grants for small and medium farmers include free fertilisers, which have greatly improved agricultural self-sufficiency and reduced rural poverty.
For the first time in decades, the minimum wage has been increased every year, doubling in real value, and legislation has encouraged union democracy and equal pay. Indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities have had their languages and autonomy guaranteed in the Constitution, along with Justice Plans restoring their land and water rights. Women’s rights and LGBT+ rights have advanced significantly, with gender equality at all levels of government. With the victory of Claudia Sheinbaum, the country has a woman as President for the first time, but as she declares, “it’s not just me as an individual, we women have all come to power!”
Public relations to counter right-wing opposition
All of this faced tenacious opposition from the corrupt establishment led by the old ruling parties PRI and PAN, who allied against the transformation and have been ridiculed by Morena as the “PRIAN”, a unified reactionary bloc. The success of AMLO and the 4T, and now of his presidential successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, lies in effective implementation of popular reforms, strict adherence to their principles (“With the people, everything; without the people, nothing”, and “No stealing, no lies, never betraying the people”), and constant communication.
One of the surprising aspects of the 4T governments has been their success in handling relations with their hegemonic neighbour. While criticising US policies under both Biden and Trump and insisting on non-intervention and the protection of Mexican sovereignty, they have recognised the need to maintain good relations and negotiate with Washington on trade, migration, and security. In Trump’s first term, AMLO renegotiated the Trade Treaty with the US and Canada with remarkable success, and now Claudia Sheinbaum has gained worldwide prestige with her firm but calm defence of Mexican sovereign interests in the face of Trump’s threats on tariffs and possible intervention.
AMLO and Claudia have held daily two-hour press conferences (mañaneras) every day from Monday to Friday, attended by a wide range of mainstream and alternative media, where they and their ministers explain policy and patiently answer questions. They refuse to be provoked by the right who criticise them, tell lies, and insult them: they insist there will be no censorship, but they will exercise their right of reply. This has had a massive impact in discrediting media propaganda and, along with the effectiveness of government policies, explains why the far right has made no progress in Mexico.
The popular support for constitutional reforms
With their teams, AMLO and Claudia have also led by example in working a seven-day week: almost every weekend, they tour this vast country supervising policies and projects and engaging in dialogue with local people. In the June 2024 General Elections, Claudia won with nearly 60% of the vote, 30% more than her nearest rival, and Morena, with two small allied parties, won two-thirds super-majorities in both houses of Congress, essential for passing constitutional reforms.
The most important of many such measures was the judicial reform, establishing popular election (on a non-party basis) of judges at all levels: the elections in June 2025 were essential because the judiciary was the most corrupt institution in the country, with judges from the Supreme Court down doing all they could to block AMLO’s progressive laws, while also granting injunctions to protect violent cartel criminals.
Mexico’s Fourth Transformation offers many lessons relevant to the UK and Europe, but is anyone paying attention?
- LIVERPOOL EVENT: ¡Viva la solidaridad! Stand with Latin America Against Trump – Monday September 29, 18.30. With Martina Pesce, Argentinian campaigner against the far-right // Francisco Dominguez // María Perez Ramos, MORENA supporter, Mexico // Richard Burgon MP // Jess Barnard, Labour NEC // Louise Regan, NEU // Gawain Little, GFTU // John McDonnell MP. You can register here.
- This article is from CLPD’s annual briefing, which you can read here.
- David Raby is a member of Norwich South CLP, is a retired Professor of Latin American History (Universities of Toronto and Liverpool), and is co-ordinator of the UK Mexico Solidarity Forum. He recently published ‘Mexico In Transformation: From AMLO to Claudia’ (Praxis Press, 2025)
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