By Lilia López
The PRD’s Lopez Obrador continues to hold a comfortable lead in the fight for Mexico’s presidency, but with accusations rampant and niceties scarce, the field is wide-open.
PRD
The Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD) candidate, Manuel Lopez Obrador should be feeling confident these days Three opinion polls held in recent weeks give him a clear lead over his two opponents in the race for Mexico’s presidency. Just last Thursday, he announced he would continue his fight to raise the nation out of poverty but denied claims that he would have to take anti-business measures to do so.
“Helping the poor does not mean we are against the rich. I am not against a man who builds a patrimony with effort and work and within the law,” he said. “I am against those who have looted the country. They are the ones who don’t like the look of us and they are the ones who are pushing the campaign to discredit us.”
This is despite continued allegations that members of his party engaged in illegal dealings with Argentine businessman, Carlos Ahumada. While its has been over two years since the release of the initial videotape showing a cash transaction between a PRD party member and Ahumada, accusations have continued to plague the otherwise largely untarnished candidate.
PRI
Roberto Madrazo of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) continues to trail behind both his opponents despite an energized effort in recent weeks. Although the PRI’s has long been known to operate a well-oiled campaign machine during election years, Madrazo has been plagued by party infighting as well as a lack of faith on the part of the public in regards to his personal integrity,
Madrazo spent early February in his home state of Tabasco, where he served as governor from 1994-2000. Disagreement over Madrazo’s candidacy is even leading several northern state governors to call from the selection of a new PRI candidate on July 2. Many analysts contribute the lack of party unity to the fact that this is the first election in more than 70 years in which the outgoing president is not of the PRI, and thus the party is suffering from the leadership traditionally exerted from this position in the government.
One major opinion poll shows that more than 40% of the public has a negative view of Madrazo, more than double the percentage that his opponents garner. “He just hasn’t been able to deal with his personal negatives yet,” says analyst Alejandro Hope with GEA, a Mexican think tank. “The electoral machine of the PRI hasn’t really kicked in or else it is much less powerful than supposed.”
PAN
In January, the Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) continued its struggle for the loyalty of Mexican voters with a special focus on nation’s youth.
In an hour-long radio show on the new Radio Futuro channel, PAN candidate Felipe Calderón praised rock singer Bono, as well as a national youth soccer team as part of an attempt to reach out to Mexican youth. Calderón himself is the youngest of the three candidates at 43-years-old, but is also the least well known according to surveys. As more than half of Mexico’s population is under 40, many young people are among the nation’s millions of undecided voters.
During the program, Calderón noted that singer Bono’s dedication to the fight against global poverty and third-world debt is an excellent example of the leadership necessary to make progress on these issues, a characteristic he shares with the musician. Calderón also spent time telling stories about his childhood in Morelia and early experiences with political activism.
Earlier in the month, Calderón found himself refuting claims that President Vicente Fox also of the PAN would play a role in his campaign as the July 2 election dates approaches. In a statement to newspaper El Universal, Calderón denied a statement made by PRI candidate Madrazo in which he accused the president of indirectly supporting Calderon.“
