The Frente y Corazón por México candidate paralyzed her public campaign agenda for two days to dedicate herself to “private” activities that everyone has translated as the exhaustive preparation of a debate that cannot get out of hand, even if it is only the second. and one more is missing. The new presidential meeting that is being held this Sunday is key, above all, for Xóchitl Gálvez, who was not favored in the first one, as she herself has acknowledged, explaining that she felt uncomfortable. On this occasion, even her outfit will be different, she will probably wear her usual clothing, the huipil. The task is not easy, first, because Gálvez will face each other again with the morenista Claudia Sheinbaum, whose advantage in the polls gives her peace of mind and that is how she appeared in the first debate, calm and confident. And second, because the issue to be discussed on this occasion is economics, one of Morena's strongest subjects, where she can exhibit achievements recognized even internationally. Also in Mexico, although the bankers give Gálvez a standing ovation, as happened in Acapulco recently.
There is a certain stagnation in the Front's candidacy. Coming practically from nowhere to face the presidential challenge, Gálvez has first had to make herself known throughout the country, and she has achieved it, 84% of the citizens know who she is and what she represents, but she is not able to convey that in political sympathies that increase voting preferences, which are still at 33% compared to the 60% of his opponent in Morena, according to the latest poll published in this newspaper. The debates are vital for both things, to reinforce her presence as a candidate and to convince the electorate of the convenience of voting for her. It cannot fail. With her characteristic spontaneity, she acknowledged last weekend that it is difficult to heed the advice of the group of advisors, sometimes each one pulling in different directions. And she announced that she will try to ask Sheinbaum more. Another thing is that she answers, she didn't do it on the last occasion, she didn't get involved.
The Morena candidate's team anticipates an escalation of attacks by her opponent. “We assume that she will arrive with her sword drawn, but we are not going to fall into disqualifications.” Although they do not rule out responding in very specific cases, Sheinbaum will seek to escape from the mud and present proposals. Gálvez, for her part, has also asked that the debate moderators not “save” the Morenista from her questions.
The Churubusco Studies will host the new meeting between the three candidates for the presidency with the classic format of presenting questions from citizens that on this occasion will focus on economic growth, employment and inflation; infrastructure and development; poverty and inequality; and climate change and sustainable development. As far as economic growth is concerned, if Sheinbaum answers Gálvez, he may not like the answers, because it is an area in which Mexico has some of the best figures in recent decades and there is almost a consensus on a probable economic takeoff and immediate job, if you know how to take advantage of the wind that blows in your favor. Gálvez herself has acknowledged that there are things she maintains in this matter, with which she agrees. She will bring up the minimum wage, pensions (battlefield of recent days), social aid to the poorest, and scholarships. In these matters, Sheinbaum could be said to play at home, although sometimes what remains of a debate is not what is serious, but rather any slip, nuance, or coughing fit that occurs to one of the candidates.
A much more unguarded side is the environmental one, which will also be discussed on Sunday under the heading of climate change. Oil instead of clean energy, refineries with extra costs… environmental policy has not been the strong point of this six-year term and it is likely that Sheinbaum, despite being an expert in that matter, will find defending it more difficult. The candidate has to continue managing the balance between the continuity of her mentor's policies and some innovative proposal from her own factory. The survey published by this newspaper made it clear that 68% who value the management carried out by López Obrador will vote for his successor. That potential cannot be wasted, but it will be the opposition's most obvious line of attack, putting Sheinbaum in front of the mirror of the worst results of the six-year term.
And Jorge Álvarez Máynez. Surely, the Citizen Movement candidate will once again show off his undaunted smile and take advantage of the debate, as he has been doing, if only because he is still the most unknown among the public and the audience that these meetings provide fits him like a glove. For the emecista everything is profit, it is enough for him to criticize left and right and present his proposals without risking any punch, because generally the two adversaries make him look like a stone guest. Unless Gálvez chooses to attack him to take advantage of that electorate that he opts for the orange movement and that would be very good for her to score points. Unlikely, since he has already said that his objective, as it should be, is to make Claudia Sheinbaum happy. At the halfway point of the campaign, Gálvez is the weakest figure, the one who must throw all the weight on the grill. And he has taken a few days to prepare well.
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