http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_3384119

Briefs, 01/09

Mexican candidate promises to trim immigration to U.S.


Mexico City - Leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador strove to portray himself as a moderate while formally registering his presidential candidacy Sunday, promising to reduce immigration to the United States and maintain a balanced foreign policy.

Portrayed as a radical or populist by detractors, the former Mexico City mayor has worked to move toward the political center after his once-commanding lead in public-opinion polls ahead of the July 2 election shrank since late fall.

Calling for "a broad, representative and inclusive citizens movement," Lopez Obrador promised Mexicans "a new economy" but said it wouldn't be based on ideology.

"Changing the current economic system is indispensable," he told a cheering crowd of supporters at the Federal Electoral Commission's headquarters in southern Mexico City. "Not for ideological reasons, but for the common good."

Lopez Obrador said that as president he will work to stem the tide of millions of Mexicans who cross into the United States legally and otherwise in search of higher-paying jobs.

"The objective is that nobody (should) have to abandon the country and their family in order to find work," he said.


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