I don't know how there can be people who still deny that the field is uneven in the presidential competition. Either they are deluded or fake.
Of course the playing field is inclined in favor of Claudia Sheinbaum.
The most important advantage is, perhaps, the social programs. This year, The federal government will distribute 735 billion pesos in this area. Only in her star program, the pension for older adultswill disburse 465 billion pesos.
These resources are from State. However, something that the Fourth Transformation is politicize them in favor of Morena. Although these are generalized supports without intermediaries, there are “servants of the nation”, employees of the secretariat of the Welfarewho visit homes in order to “facilitate, organize and coordinate the beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Wellbeing Programs.”
They are uniformed with a cherry-colored vest, the same one used by Brunette. In many cases, after the visit of the “servants of the nation” “volunteers” from this party appear and remind people that this support is thanks to the Morenoist government and invite them to vote for the ruling party.
The political operation of linking social programs with Morena is so effective that many voters believe the lie that, if the opposition won, they would take away their support.
In the last telephone survey by El Financiero, carried out in March, some very interesting data appeared. 53% of those surveyed revealed that he, she or a family member received some benefit or support from social programs from the federal government. Of this benefited population, 64% said that, if the elections were held today, they would vote for Sheinbaum and 21% for Gálvez. On the other hand, in the group of people who do not benefit, the winner is Xóchitl with 47% of the preferences, with Claudia in second place with 36%.
The history of electoral clientelism is very old. We could go back to the times of the Roman Republic. In Mexico of the last century, the PRI refined this practice. Morena copied and strengthened it, taking it to such popular levels that, today, the opposition no longer knows how to convey to voters that, if they won, they would not remove this support.
Marcelo Ebrard himself, in the internal competition of this Morena, denounced that the support in favor of Claudia came “from the support of the Welfare Secretariat.”
In short, with taxpayer money, Morena and its candidate have the field tilted in their favor.
Not to mention the billions of pesos they have spent since last year to promote Sheinbaum. They covered the country with billboards with her image.
They painted thousands of fences. They dominated social media with paid advertising. It was not without reason, in this sense, that Claudia turned out to be the candidate with the greatest name recognition in the polls before the campaigns began.
To this we must add the explicit and unconditional support of the President for Sheinbaum's candidacy. Not only did she spend months praising her, but when it became clear that Xóchitl would be the opposition candidate, she launched a negative campaign against her with false evidence. Thanks to AMLO, Gálvez became famous, but also with negative attributes that she has not been able to get rid of.
Today, the President continues campaigning since his mornings. As a liberal, I think that the president has the right to express his views freely. I said the same thing during Fox's six-year term when that President veiled and obliquely defended the PAN candidate, Felipe Calderón. Peccata minute compared to what López Obrador is doing currently.
Let us remember that the legislation to silence the President during the electoral campaign was demanded by AMLO and company after the 2006 elections. Now, in the Olympic hypocrisy that characterizes them, they complain about these rules that they promoted.
It is a stupid and illiberal law. But it is the current law. The problem is that it is inapplicable. The authorities (the INE and the Electoral Tribunal) cannot silence a President. Except AMLO who has verbal incontinence. The result is that, from the National Palace, the court is tilted daily in favor of Claudia.
The question is whether the opposition is documenting these factors (coercive use of social programs, illegal spending in non-electoral times, illegal intervention by the President in favor of a campaign) to challenge the result of the election and request its annulment. Just as AMLO did in 2006 and 2012 without success, but staining the legitimacy of the winners.
X: @leozuckermann
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