In contrast to November’s presidential election in the United States, which many pollsters predict will go down to the wire, Mexico’s vote on June 2 is gearing up to be a far less dramatic affair.
Left-leaning Morena Party alliance (Sigamos Haciendo Historia) candidate Claudia Sheinbaum leads her PAN-PAN-PRD (Fuerza y Corazón por México) coalition rival Xóchitl Gálvez by a whopping 25 points (58 to 33 percent), according to Bloomberg’s “Electoral Barometer,” with Citizens Movement candidate Jorge Máynez lagging way behind in third place. Other polls indicate similar numbers, and there’s nothing to suggest these will change significantly over the next six weeks.
The fact that Mexico will soon have its first woman president is an exciting prospect for many people, but the election campaign has largely failed to ignite the passions of this country’s denizens. As per usual, huge amounts of money are being spent on all forms of advertising — billboards bearing the faces of the combatants litter the urban landscape, accompanied by incessant radio and TV spots — while the candidates lock horns and exchange barbs over policy intricacies, but the intensity that usually distinguishes a close campaign is mostly absent.
Please login or subscribe to view the complete article.