Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador
© Hector Vivas via Getty Images
Says stay-at-home orders betray "authoritarian instincts" of governments.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador slammed lockdowns as a form of "dictatorship" during a press conference, telling reporters that such measures betray "authoritarian instincts."

The populist leftist leader, known as AMLO by his supporters, said that COVID-19 lockdowns were "fashionable among authorities...who want to show they are heavy handed, dictatorship."

"A lot of them are letting their authoritarian instincts show," he added, noting that, "The fundamental thing is to guarantee liberty."

Obrador also insisted that mask-wearing should be voluntary and not mandated by the state.

As National File highlights, while other Latin American countries have imposed strict lockdowns, AMLO has spoke out against stay-at-home orders, although authorities in different regions have
"For example, the third most populous state in Mexico, Jalisco, currently governed by the opposition left-liberal Citizens' Movement, has introduced a mask mandate in all public areas," writes Eduardo Rivero.

"Other states have gone further still, introducing stay-at-home orders and shutting non-essential businesses. Even states governed by conservative politicians, such as Puebla, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas, have adopted strict lockdown restrictions."