Andrés Manuel López Obrador's tenure as the President of Mexico began with his inauguration on 1 December 2018, and ended on 30 September 2024. López Obrador, a member of the National Regeneration Movement (Morena) and former Head of Government of the Federal District, had previously run for president in the 2006 and 2012 elections. He assumed office following a landslide victory in the 2018 presidential election. Upon his inauguration, he became the oldest person to hold the office since the change to a six-year term of office.

2018 election

For the 2018 Mexican presidential election, López Obrador's political party, MORENA, formed the coalition Juntos Haremos Historia with left-wing Labor Party and socially conservative right-wing Social Encounter Party.

On 1 July 2018, López Obrador won a landslide victory against all other candidates, managing to secure 53% of the popular vote. His closest opponent, Ricardo Anaya, only garnered 22%. On 8 August, the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary (TEPJF) certified López Obrador's victory, with his coalition becoming the dominant political force in the Mexican Congress, securing 69 out of 128 Senate seats and 308 out of 500 Chamber of Deputies seats.

López Obrador's victory was met by various reactions around the world. Congratulations came from world politicians that included Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.

Transition period Following his victory, on 2 July, López Obrador announced his transition team, comprising Alfonso Romo and Carlos Manuel Urzúa Macías for the economy; Héctor Vasconcelos and Marcelo Ebrard for foreign relations; , Olga Sánchez Cordero, and Tatiana Clouthier for domestic affairs; and for communications.

On 3 July, he met incumbent president Enrique Peña Nieto at the National Palace, where they spoke on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the construction of the New International Airport for Mexico City (NAICM), energy reform, the budget, and security. In a departure from standard presidential security practices, López Obrador attended the meeting without the presence of bodyguards.

Once his victory was certified by the Federal Electoral Tribunal, López Obrador once again met with Peña Nieto on 9 August to formally begin the transition process. After the meeting, López Obrador announced that they had agreed to establish of the Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection and the office of the Attorney General of Mexico.

The LXIV Legislature of the Mexican Congress, which convened on 1 September, laid the groundwork for López Obrador's proposed government restructuring. Key initiatives included the creation of the Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection; transforming the Center for Investigation and National Security (CISEN) into the National Intelligence Centre (CNI); converting the Secretariat of Social Development (Sedesol) into the Secretariat of Welfare; and merging the Presidential General Staff (EMP) and the Presidential Guard Corps (CGP) with the Secretariat of National Defense. These changes were formalized on 1 December, following López Obrador's inauguration.

From 22 to 25 October, he held a nationwide referendum on whether or not the New International Airport for Mexico City was to be scrapped, citing that the project was rife with graft and a waste of taxpayer money. About 70% of the results voted against the continuation of the project. López Obrador insisted on expanding the Santa Lucía Air Force Base instead.

During the transition period, López Obrador and his team held meetings with Peña Nieto’s cabinet, as well as with the (CCE), the National Governors Conference (CONAGO), and presidential candidates José Antonio Meade and Ricardo Anaya. He also spoke with international figures such as Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs; Qiu Xhiaoqui, China’s Ambassador to Mexico; Theresa May, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; and members of the U.S. delegation attending his inauguration, including Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State; Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of the Treasury; Kirstjen Nielsen, Secretary of Homeland Security; and Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor and son-in-law to President Donald Trump.

Inauguration

On 1 December 2018, López Obrador was inaugurated at the Legislative Palace of San Lázaro at 11:00 CST. At the main podium, he was accompanied by Martí Batres, the President of the Senate; Enrique Peña Nieto, the outgoing president; Porfirio Muñoz Ledo, the President of the Chamber of Deputies; and Luis María Aguilar, the President of the Supreme Court of Justice. They were flanked by three cadets from each branch of the armed forces: one from the Heroic Military Academy, one female cadet from the Escuela Militar de Aviación, and one from the Heroica Escuela Naval Militar.

Following the formal welcome and announcement by the President of Congress, López Obrador read the oath outlined in Article 87 of the Constitution of Mexico. At the end of the phrase "the people have given me", he added the word "democratically". The transfer of the presidential sash then took place, with the outgoing president handing it over to the President of Congress, who then passed it to the new president. López Obrador was the first president to address Congress since the year 2000, following the brief inaugurations of Felipe Calderón and Enrique Peña Nieto, who had only taken the oath and then left. At the end of the speech, he was honored with the Himno Nacional Mexicano.

The foreign representation at the inauguration included the attendance of 14 heads of state and government:La toma de posesión de AMLO será la más concurrida en la historia de México

Felipe VI, King of Spain Miguel Díaz-Canel (President of Cuba) Evo Morales (President of Bolivia) Martín Vizcarra (President of Peru) Juan Orlando Hernández (President of Honduras) Jimmy Morales (President of Guatemala) Lenín Moreno (President of Ecuador) Iván Duque Márquez (President of Colombia) Brahim Gali (President of Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic) Colville Young (Governor General of Belize) Julie Payette (Governor General of Canada) Danilo Medina (President of the Dominican Republic) Jovenel Moïse (President of Haiti) António Costa (Prime Minister of Portugal)

President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro did not attend the inauguration ceremony, but did attend a reception in the National Palace. Representatives from 37 countries, including the United States, China, Singapore, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Russia, and Ukraine also attended.

A rally in support of López Obrador took place in the Zócalo of Mexico City, where representatives from 68 indigenous groups presented him with the bastón de mando, a traditional ceremonial staff. This symbolic gesture marked the first time a Mexican president had received the staff, signifying the recognition of López Obrador as a leader by the indigenous groups. The event concluded with López Obrador addressing an estimated 160,000 people.

On the same day as the inauguration, López Obrador broke several longstanding presidential traditions. He abolished the Presidential General Staff, an institution charged with protecting and safeguarding the President of Mexico and the First Lady of Mexico. He also opened the official residence of Los Pinos to the public and relocated the presidential offices to the National Palace.

Cabinet In December 2017, López Obrador released his cabinet listing, composed of eight men and eight women. The proposed cabinet remained mostly unchanged, with the exception of Héctor Vasconcelos, was initially chosen to serve as Secretary of Foreign Affairs but was later replaced by Marcelo Ebrard. In October 2018, López Obrador selected Luis Cresencio Sandoval as Secretary of Defense and José Rafael Ojeda Durán as Secretary of the Navy.

López Obrador proposed dispersing the cabinet throughout the country's states, with the objective of "promoting development throughout the national territory", while the Presidency, the Secretariat of National Defense, Secretariat of the Navy, the Secretariat of the Interior, Secretariat of Foreign Affairs, and the Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit remained in the capital.

Reforms On 1 December 2018, the Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection was created, with its responsibilities previously covered by the National Security Commission, an entity under the Secretariat of the Interior.

On 20 December 2018, due to the 2014 political-electoral reform, the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (PGR) was dissolved, and the autonomous Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR) was established outside the cabinet.

On 1 December 2018, the Secretariat of Social Development (SEDESOL) was renamed the Secretariat of Welfare and the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries, and Food was renamed the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development. On 20 October 2021, the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (SCT) was renamed the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transportation (SICT). The name changes did not affect the positions' responsibilities.

Cabinet changes Throughout his term, López Obrador's cabinet experienced significant turnover. In the first four years of his administration, there were fifteen cabinet changes.

Pursuit of other public offices

María Luisa Albores, the Secretary of Welfare, transitioned in 2020 to become to the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources. Alfonso Durazo, the Secretary of Security, resigned in 2020 to run for the governorship of Sonora. Olga Sánchez Cordero. the Secretary of the Interior, resigned in 2021 to return to her Senate seat, which she had left to become part of the cabinet. Adán Augusto López and Marcelo Ebrard, the Secretaries of the Interior and Foreign Affairs, respectively, resigned in 2023 to compete for the presidential nomination of the Morena-PT-PVEM coalition. Rocío Nahle, the Secretary of Energy, resigned in 2023 to run for the governorship of Veracruz.

Loss in confidence in López Obrador

Carlos Manuel Urzúa Macías, the Secretary of Finance, resigned in 2019 over disagreements with the president, citing concerns over economic policies and the appointment of unqualified individuals to key positions. Javier Jiménez Espriú, the Secretary of Infrastructure, resigned in 2020 as he disagreed with López Obrador's decision to entrust the operation of Mexico's ports and customs to the Navy.

Domestic policy

López Obrador gave his Primer Informe del Gobierno (State of the Union address) on 1 September 2019, before 400 legislators, governors, and business leaders. During his hour-and-a-half speech, he emphasized how he has eliminated a lot of corruption and helped the poor. The speech generated 125,000 tweets and 27,000,000 viewers.

Economic policy López Obrador's economic policies, characterized by a commitment to fiscal conservatism and social equity, focused on maintaining low public debt through spending cuts while increasing social spending. His policies aimed to reduce reliance on imports, strengthen state-run companies like Pemex and the CFE, and stimulate growth and employment through large-scale infrastructure projects. While the country maintained macroeconomic stability, his administration faced criticism for sluggish economic growth and poor investments in other sectors.