A newly-unveiled statue of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in the municipality of Atlacomulco, which has strong ties to the opposition, was knocked down several days after it was inaugurated by a mayor.
The statue was unveiled on Thursday in a festive ceremony led by Atlacomulco’s outgoing mayor Roberto Tellez Monroy. The base of the sculpture which was briefly towering over the municipality’s main square featured a plaque with the name of Lopez Obrador, also known by his initials AMLO, and his years in office: 2018-2024.
The statue met its grim end merely two days after it was presented to the public. Photos shared on social media on the first day of the new year show the statue lying on the ground with its head missing. No one has taken responsibility for what the prosecutor’s office in the central State of Mexico called “an apparent act of vandalism.”
It’s unclear if suspected vandals face any punishment over the statue’s demolition, however. The prosecutor’s office noted that a formal complaint still needs to be lodged for the investigation into the incident to be opened. The Mexican president himself reportedly did not approve of the statue.
The destruction of the statue coincides with the transfer of power over the municipality from the ruling MORENA party to the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) following an election.
Atlacomulco, which is located just a two-hour drive from the Mexican capital, Mexico City, has long been known as the alleged birthplace of so-called “Grupo Atlacomulco,” an informal political group which is believed to have ties to the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), including to former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.The group remains a mystery however, as officials linked to the group have persistently denied its existence.
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