Written by Stephen Eisenhammer and Diego Ore
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico's main opposition presidential candidate, Xochitl Gálvez, called out his rival and front-runner. claudia sheinbaumcalled her a “lying candidate” during Sunday's pre-election debate and dared her to drink a bottle of water from the capital he governs.
The attack by Galvez, who heads a three-party opposition coalition, comes as the latest polls show he is struggling to gain momentum with five weeks left until the June 2 election. Ta.
An April 10-13 poll published by Mitofsky in El Economista newspaper showed Sheinbaum's approval rating at 51.4% and Gálvez's 26.7%. Political analysts said the debate was light on details and was unlikely to have a major impact on the election outlook.
“I think the focus was on Mr. Xochitl this time,” political analyst Viri Ríos told Milenio TV after the debate, adding that Mr. Gálvez had not been able to emphasize his policies enough during the debate. .
“She was confrontational and her only purpose was to give Claudia a nickname, not necessarily to say what she wanted,” Rios added.
In one corner, Gálvez held up a bottle of water that he said came from Mexico City and that laboratory tests showed it was contaminated. “Please drink this water,” she told Mr. Sheinbaum, who was the city's mayor until last June.
Sheinbaum promised to raise the minimum wage and vow to improve water recycling in Mexico, which is facing drought and widespread water shortages. He also said he would increase the use of solar panels for homes and electric cars for public transportation.
She frequently cited what she called the achievements of the current administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose consistent popularity has helped give Mr. Sheinbaum a wide lead in opinion polls.
“Mexico is great and will continue to be great with more fraternity, more justice, and more prosperity through sustainable development,” Sheinbaum said.
(Reporting by Stephen Eisenhammer and Diego Ore; Editing by Miral Fahmy)
