MEXICO CITY — There could be a live mariachi band, clips from old Mexican movies, or the photo of a journalist being scolded for their coverage: the only sure thing with outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's daily press conference is that it will be long — often upwards of three hours.

Known as the mananera, meaning roughly of the morning, this potent mix of factual updates and political theatrics has become a cornerstone of Lopez Obrador's government, whose 60 per cent-plus approval ratings are the envy of many Western leaders. 

The president sets the day's news agenda, controls crises and takes down opponents — all while most folks are having breakfast.  

Now, it will fall to incoming President Claudia Sheinbaum — who takes power on Tuesday (Oct 1) — to fill his shoes at the lectern, a task political watchers say could be a formidable challenge given her far less spontaneous style. The mananera has become such a part of Mexican daily life that Sheinbaum can't scrap it, but she can't just copy her mentor's format either without being slammed as a puppet. 

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