It’s almost certain that a woman will be the next president of Mexico, i.e., la presidenta. She is likely going to be former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, a candidate closely associated with President Andres Manuel Lopez-Obrador. For some, she is AMLO’s puppet. For others, she is a U.S.-educated environmental engineer.
For most Mexicans, it’s about violence and doing something about what they call “inseguridad,” as we see in this from AP:
Malena Gómez, an Irapuato resident and activist with a civic group, said safety was her biggest concern.
“Here in Guanajuato and in the entire country,” she said. “This Morena government (of López Obrador) allowed organized crime to get into everything.”
Organized crime has long controlled swaths of Mexico through violence and corruption. It has diversified beyond drug trafficking in recent years, extorting businesses big and small for protection payments.
Farmer Amadeo Hernández Barajas, who grows corn and beans on his farm in Acambaro, Guanajuato, said he supported Gálvez because Sheinbaum just promised to be more of the same. He said farmers are also targets of organized crime.
“How do you get the product out?” he asked. “Because the criminals charge you for every ton of corn you take out and they charge the combines and harvesters too.”
And that’s the challenge no matter who wins the presidency.
According to my Mexican friends, President Lopez-Obrador has high ratings because he’s directed a lot of public funds to benefit low-income groups. In other words, he is, as many say, buying their votes and silence about the out of control violence.
So what happens when President Sheinbaum takes over? We will see but she does not have Lopez-Obrador’s personality. She comes across as a very smart woman but can she lead a bitterly divided nation? Can she continue to give away money and get public support? Can she convince Mexicans that the Lady Sheriff will stand up to ruthless gangs?
The election will be in July, so my questions will be answered soon. In the meantime, get ready for more stories about violence in Mexico.
We discussed the elections in Mexico with Allan Wall, editor of Mexico News Report.
Being AMLO’s puppet and a U.S.-educated environmental engineer are obviously not mutually exclusive.