Mexican presidential candidates fight over security in final debate
ExpandingWritten by David Ariar Garcia
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico's leading presidential candidates faced off in a security-focused debate on Sunday night, as their archrivals harshly criticized both for record levels of violent crime. The ruling party expects the outgoing president to defend his policies.
Former Mexico Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, of the left-wing ruling Morena party, has vowed to continue the largely non-confrontational security policies of her mentor, President Andres Manuel López Obrador, while also pleading with the leaders of the vast capital. He also touted his crime-fighting record.
“I'm the only one who can get results in the field of public safety,” Sheinbaum said, adding that she wants to support more social programs aimed at mitigating what she calls the root causes of crime. She claimed that the hiring of police officers had reduced the murder rate she monitored.
Sheinbaum, a scientist, served as Mexico City from 2018 until 2023, when he resigned to run for president, and earlier in his career served as the capital's environment minister under then-Mayor López Obrador.
Her main opponent, Xochitl Gálvez, disputes Sheinbaum's record as mayor, arguing that the number of homicides has actually increased due to a disproportionate number of deaths that have not been officially accounted for. He claimed that
Sen. Gálvez, who represents the left-right coalition that once dominated Mexican politics, has repeatedly attacked the ruling party for turning a blind eye to illegal activities, particularly violent crimes committed by the country's powerful drug gangs.
Recalling how López Obrador warmly greeted the mother of imprisoned drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán in 2019, Gálvez said: “The pact you all made with criminals… This country is on fire because of this.”
Mr. Gálvez, a businessman, has repeatedly ridiculed Mr. Sheinbaum as a “false candidate,” flashed a graphic depicting his opponent with a Pinocchio-style nose and criticized the generous social spending programs enacted by Mr. López Obrador. I promised to continue.
The lively debate unfolded just two weeks before voters head to the polls on June 2 in an election in which Mr. Sheinbaum has held a double-digit lead in most polls for months.
If elected, Ms. Sheinbaum and Ms. Gálvez, both 61, would become the first female presidents of Mexico, where presidential terms are limited by law to six years.
The third candidate also shared the stage with two other strong female candidates. Jorge Álvarez Maínez, 38, a former state lawmaker from the centrist Civic Movement Party.
While he promised to prioritize children with long-term goals such as expanding funding for higher education, he also opposed the criminalization of abortion and recreational marijuana.
(Reporting by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
