Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been the president of Mexico since 2018. During his time in politics, Lopez Obrador has been affiliated with multiple political parties. He's identified as a socialist and a populist.

As with many world leaders associated with the recent populism boom, he's also been very controversial. Including, but not limited to, his handling of the Coronavirus pandemic. The virus has now hit Lopez Obrador directly.

Diagnosed with COVID-19

Lopez Obrador has confirmed that he's been diagnosed with COVID-19. He has begun to show symptoms of the coronavirus.

He tweeted that he is 'optimistic' about his case. 'We will all move forward,' the president added.

As indicated by Axios, Lopez Obrador has been heavily criticized for his policies regarding COVID-19. Often times, he seems to have downplayed the threat of the coronavirus, including belittling the necessity of wearing face masks. At one point telling the press, "You know when I'm going to put on a mask? When there is no corruption. Then I'll put on a mask and I'll stop talking."

With his diagnosis, Mexico's president joins an ever-growing list of world leaders to contract COVID-19. Furthermore, he becomes one of several populist, publicly COVID-skeptic world leaders to catch the virus. Others include now-former U.S.

President Donald Trump, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Johnson's case was near-fatal, putting him in intensive care. Trump was also hospitalized. Speculation has continued about how severe his case was. Information regarding his condition was closely-guarded.

Others of his policies have also drawn scrutiny.

Among them, his recent apparent hesitancy to acknowledge the results of the 2020 U.S. Presidential election. Lopez Obrador's policies regarding crime and the economy been criticized.

Had run for president twice before

During the 1990s, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was president of the Partido de la Revolucion Democratica. Or the "Party of the Democratic Revolution." From 2000 to 2005, he was the rough equivalent of mayor of Mexico City.

The country's most populous city and capital.

He first ran for president in 2006, losing to former Energy Secretary Felipe Calderon. Calderon was a member of the conservative Partido Accion Nacional, translating to 'National Action Party'. Lopez Obrador made another run for the Presidency in 2012. By law, Mexican presidents can only serve one term. As such Calderon was ineligible to run again.

Lopez Obrador's second Presidential campaign would also be unsuccessful. This time losing to former State of Mexico Governor Enrique Pena Nieto. A member of the centrist Partido Revolucionario Institucional, also known as the "Institutional Revolutionary Party."

After losing his second Presidential run, Lopez Obrador founded a new political party. The Movimiento Regeneracion Nacional, or the "National Regeneration Movement." With his new party, he ran again in 2018 and would prevail.
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