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By KELIN DILLON

A new report from the European Union’s European Parliament Research Service highlighted a series of challenges set to face Mexico’s next presidential administration, which is set to be decided during the country’s upcoming federal elections on Sunday, June 2.

“The next president will have to deal with the problems that have plagued Mexico for many years, such as public security, human rights violations, migration and corruption,” read the report, noting that the new president is inheriting notable issues unaddressed by outgoing Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO).

“President López Obrador has made little progress in solving serious human rights problems in Mexico, such as violence extreme criminality, the abuse of migrants and gender violence,” continued the European Parliament Research Service.“For journalists and human rights defenders, Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world.”

The report went on to note that Mexico’s homicide rate – though experiencing a slight decrease between 2021 and 2022 – remains one of the highest murder rates around the world, eclipsing 30,000 victims annually throughout the past six years of AMLO’s term.

Of the homicides registered in Mexico, the European Parliament Research Service found that “between 25 percent and 50 percent of the total homicides reported by the Mexican government were probably related to organized crime,” an issue compounded by López Obrador’s controversial “hugs, not bullets” approach to cartel violence.

Corruption, another enduring problem in Mexico, was also found to have increased during the past six-year presidency and earned the nation the 126th spot out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index.

“Despite relatively good economic circumstances, the next Mexican president must address economic challenges to accelerate sustainable economic growth and reduce poverty. Experts point out that Mexico needs to address structural problems such as restricted access to financing, insecurity, informality, regulatory burdens, infrastructure obstacles and corruption,” added the European Parliament Research Service Marc Jütten. “Addressing them is essential to take advantage of the opportunity that nearshoring represents.”

The report concluded by acknowledging that the outcome of the U.S. presidential election in November could likewise bring significant challenges to Mexico’s new president depending on whether Joe Biden or Donald Trump wins.