Mexico's next president has called a referendum so the public can decide whether to continue the construction of the capital's major new airport, designed by Norman Foster and Fernando Romero.
President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador will hold a public vote in October 2018 to determine the fate of the New Mexico City International Airport project, he announced last week, despite the fact that construction has been ongoing since 2015.
López Obrador won this year's presidential election in a landslide victory, with 53 per cent of the vote. During his campaign, his main policy proposals included plans to cancel the airport that British firm Foster + Partners designed with Mexican studio Fernando Romero Enterprise (FR-EE).
The referendum is being held months before he officially takes office in December, leaving the fate of the project in the hands of the public. The result will be binding. The referendum will allow the public to vote on whether to continue with Mexico City's major new airport, designed by Foster and Romero
"So we don't make the wrong decision the best thing is to ask," said López Obrador, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
"The Mexican people are not underage," he added. "They're an intelligent, wise people, and we're going with the democratic method."
López Obrador's main issue with the scheme is the expected $13.3 billion (£10.30 billion) cost ? 60 per cent of which is being funded by the Mexican government, wit...