The man who would be president

摘要

For political junkies, there is only one place to be at dawn in the capital city: at the mayor's daily press conference. At 6.15am every day, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador steps in front of the cameras in the mayor's offices. About an hour later he strides out of the room to begin a working day that usually lasts until 10pm. The message is that this is a man who cannot wait to get behind his desk to serve the people. And the early start ensures that it is Mr Lopez Obrador who sets the city's daily political agenda, and often that of the nation, on the breakfast news shows. His industry and astuteness have turned Mr Lopez Obrador, a pragmatic left-winger, into the rising star of Mexican politics. The next presidential election is not due until 2006. But already the mayor is seen as the man to beat. His manic work habits are reminiscent of Alvaro Uribe, Colombia's president. But the Latin American leader Mr Lopez Obrador is most often compared with is Lula, Brazil's moderate left-wing president.