Mexico’s president touts austerity on his way out of office but lavishes largesse on friends

Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s outgoing president has always taken pride in his reputation as a penny-pincher, cutting funds for most government agencies and states. But he has lavished political allies with generous cash giveaways in his final days in office while also punishing his enemies in the business sector. On Friday, Andrés Manuel López Obrador granted a radical union that has supported his presidential bids about $95 million a year in unearned pension benefits. The lavish giveaway contrast sharply with the image of extreme austerity that López Obrador has sought to project since taking office in 2018.