Mexico to raffle luxurious presidential plane despite COVID-19

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador

gave details on Friday of a raffle aimed at covering the cost of a luxury presidential plane he has struggled to sell, clarifying that 100 winners will get USD $1 million in cash rather than the plane itself.

Mexico has yet to find a buyer for the USD $130 million Boeing 787 Dreamliner , which the leftist López Obrador has cast as a symbol of excess and corruption in previous governments in a country where around half the population lives in poverty.

Last month, López Obrador floated the idea of raffling off the plane itself . The plan caused some hilarity in Mexico as humorists tried to imagine what an ordinary citizen would do with the large and opulent aircraft.

On Friday, however, López Obrador made clear that the 100 holders of winning tickets would get USD $1 million in cash. The raffle aims to raise some MXN $3 billion with sales to begin on March 1 .

“We’re doing this so that we don’t auction it off cheaply so that we aren’t in a rush,” López Obrador said.

Did you know the Mexican government knew the

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“I’m sure that all the tickets will be sold,” said López Obrador.

Attempts will continue to sell, or lease, the spacious jet, which has been reconfigured to fly only 80 people, has a large “presidential suite” and a private bath.

The winning tickets - selected from 6 million sold - will be announced on September 15 , the day before Mexican Independence Day.

López Obrador has made a point of crisscrossing Mexico aboard commercial flights , often taking fellow passengers by surprise. He has auctioned off many smaller government planes and helicopters .

The specially outfitted Boeing 787 Dreamliner was acquired in 2012 at the start of President Enrique Pena Nieto’s six-year term .

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On March 3, President López Obrador announced his administration will start selling the raffle tickets on March 9 , the day when Mexican women will go on a strike to protest against femicide and gender-based violence . Days after the strike was announced, the President branded it a conservative movement and said it was orchestrated by the opposition and that it was meant to attack his administration, something NGOs and activist deny.

The raffle winners will be announced on September 15.

On March 4 , the President announced the tickets will go on sale on March 10 or 11, after López Obrador was criticized for announcing the raffle tickets would go on sale on March 9 , on the same day as the national women's strike .

On April 8, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador asserted that the raffle of the presidential plane will be held on September 15, despite the coronavirus pandemic.

In a news conference at the National Palace , AMLO informed that profits from the raffle will be used for medical equipment at public hospitals.

Six million tickets

were issued for the raffle of the luxurious aircraft and there will be 100 prizes of MXN $20 million each . Each ticket costs MXN $500 and the raffle will be held at the National Lottery’s building in Mexico City at 16:00 .

The raffle is expected to generate a profit of MXN $3 billion .

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