The mayor has built a following based on handout programs and public works projects. On Thursday he proposed "a homeland for all, a homeland for the humiliated," which in the past he has said would involve a more state-supported economy, greater reliance on oil revenues and a renegotiation of free-trade pacts.
Still, unrest remains possible if Lopez Obrador is jailed. The federal attorney-general's office says it will immediately request a court order for Lopez Obrador's arrest. If a judge approves that request, the mayor will be removed from office. But it remains unclear when that might happen.



