20 heads of state among 400 foreign guests who will attend AMLO’s inauguration

At least 400 representatives of foreign governments have been confirmed as guests for tomorrow’s inauguration ceremony in Mexico City, where Andrés Manuel López Obrador will be sworn in as Mexico’s 58th president.

Organizers describe the event as historical for the international representation, which includes 20 heads of state.

About 900 guests are expected in total at the event, which will be held at the legislative palace of San Lázaro, but they will be outnumbered by journalists. Some 1,800 have been accredited to attend.

Notable on the foreign guest list are the king of Spain, Felipe VI, United States vice-president Mike Pence and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whose invitation sparked an outcry of protest.

The day’s events begin at 9:00am, when the 628 members of both legislative chambers meet for a Congress of the Union session at the Chamber of Deputies.

President Peña Nieto and López Obrador will arrive at 11:00am for the transition of power ceremony. The latter intends to break with tradition and address the nation from Congress, a first in the nation’s recent history.

Enrique Peña Nieto will leave Congress after the singing of the national anthem, bringing the ceremony to a conclusion.

López Obrador will attend a private event with his Mexican and foreign guests at the seat of the federal executive, the National Palace, at 2:00pm.

A festival — dubbed AMLOFest — will kick off two hours after that on the streets and zócalo outside, and Mexico’s new president will address the crowd later that evening from a balcony at the palace.

A traditional indigenous ceremony will also part of the inauguration. At 6:00pm, López Obrador will be presented with a leader’s baton by representatives of Mexico’s 68 indigenous peoples to acknowledge him as their leader.

It will be the first time in Mexico’s history that a president has been accorded the honor.

Source: Milenio (sp), El Financiero (sp), El Economista (sp)