The three candidates for the presidency of Mexico faced each other this Sunday in the first debate ahead of the elections on June 2. Claudia Sheinbaum, Xóchitl Gálvez and Jorge Álvarez Máynez have presented their proposals on health, education, transparency, combating corruption, women and discrimination. For two hours, the candidates answered the moderators' questions, exchanged attacks and contrasted each other's statements. But who has won the debate? EL PAÍS analysts Viri Ríos, Salvador Camarena, Gabriela Warkentin, Vanessa Romero Rocha, Javier Risco, Javier Garza Ramos and Antonio Ortuño give their opinion.
Viri Ríos: “Claudia Sheinbaum won”
Without falling into provocations, disciplined and focused on her message, Claudia Sheinbaum showed herself as a presidential, professional, calm and confident woman. She emphasized her achievements as head of government, her message of continuity and her support for the poorest. Xóchitl Gálvez dealt hard blows, but she seemed too defensive, angry, throwing accusations and sometimes even insults. Gálvez even ends up with the flag upside down. Jorge Álvarez Máynez did a great job as a debater, transmitting joviality and fresh ideas.
Salvador Camarena: “Nothing for anyone”
In some moments, Xóchitl Gálvez managed to get Claudia Sheinbaum to stop her sober tone and erase her smile. Partial success for the Hidalgo native, despite the cheap histrionics of calling her opponent cold and heartless. However, the capital recomposed itself, while the opposition became blurred. And that's where Gálvez's opportunity went: if he had already gotten the serious candidate on edge, it was her turn to show herself capable of that seriousness; On the other hand, when faced with too many questions, the opponent bluffed or was flat out superficial. Nothing for anyone would be a way to conclude the balance of the first meeting of the 2024 presidential candidates.
Gabriela Warkentin: “Sheinbaum won because the other candidates were very bad”
The format is very bad and the production quality is very bad, they will say that it is what matters the least and I would say that it is what matters the most. Because a good format and good production help the debate flow. I am very sorry that the INE has gone backwards regarding formats. I was very surprised that Xóchitl Gálvez arrived so stiff and out of place, she seemed unaware that the camera was on top of her. She saw her ballots, she seemed unfocused, she seemed very nervous. She missed the opportunity to land some important blows that could upset the official candidate. Jorge Álvarez Máynez, with a strange smile that made him uncomfortable all the time, seemed to play a strange role as a passer of balls, attacking from one side and the other without being very clear why he is in that fight, he has little to contribute. Claudia Sheinbaum played a little at home, she seemed a little calmer, not because of herself, but because of how badly the other two were doing. She won Sheinbaum, not because she was better, but because the others were infinitely bad.
Vanessa Romero Rocha: “The leading candidate won”
If you (like me) value debates as platforms for the exchange of ideas and the expression of political differences between candidates, you will concede that the candidate on the left (seen from the front), has proven to be the most prominent contender, taking home victory in hand. On the contrary, if during the debate you satisfied your morbidity with the —unsuccessful— opposition attacks made on Sheinbaum by Gálvez, it is likely that you will grant the victory to the latter. In that case, it is also possible to think that their voting decision had already been made beforehand and was irrevocable. The numbers will remain unchanged. When you have to ask who won a debate, it is most likely that the toe won. Tonight was no exception.
Javier Risco: “In the end no one knocks out”
The big loser of this debate has been the audience, victim of a boring, confusing meeting without clear proposals. The vast majority – and rightly so – will blame the INE's clumsiness, a failed production, and selected questions that were more like comments. In the political arena, debates are like a boxing fight, if in the end no one is knocked out, if there is any doubt about who won, the one who has the advantage is the one who raises his arm. Did Gálvez throw Sheinbaum? No. More than enough for things (or the percentage numbers) to continue as they are, with an inexplicable smile from Álvarez Máynez in the background.
Javier Garza Ramos: “Claudia Sheinbaum came out better”
Claudia Sheinbaum was the one who came out the best. She was the one who had the most to lose and she remained thanks to not falling into provocations, but she seemed uncomfortable having to defend questions about the current government, particularly cases of corruption, hence her constant pivots to her management in Mexico City. Xóchitl Gálvez was the one who needed to win the most and she did not reach her, either due to lack of preparation or because of the nervousness that she transmitted. She opted for accusations against President López Obrador, but Sheinbaum did not take the bait. Jorge Álvarez Máynez opted to present a third option with his references to old politics, and although at times he was the one who had the most concrete proposals, it was very difficult to overcome the perception of a contest between two candidates.
Antonio Ortuño: “I don't think anyone has won the debate”
I don't think anyone has won the debate, in the sense of massively tilting the vote in their favor, and especially that of the possible undecided voters. The speeches revolved around everyone's well-known positions. Fillers predominated (“You don't have a heart”, “When I was head of government”, “The old politics”) and personal attacks, and substantive proposals were scarce. For the show, it can be very fun for the candidates to cross disqualifications and draw cards, but a debate format like the one we saw is not very useful for a voter interested in the proposals. The best thing about the debate, by far, were the memes.
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