(Mexico City) The opposition candidate for the June 2 presidential election in Mexico, Xóchitl Gálvez, denounced the “authoritarian instincts” of the outgoing president and the threats of organized crime, by formalizing her candidacy on Tuesday.
The sole candidate for three opposition parties, Gálvez, 60, registered her candidacy with the National Electoral Institute (INE), two days after her rival, the representative of the left-wing party in power Claudia Sheinbaum, favorite in the polls.
“Out of respect for your candidate, out of respect for democracy, out of respect for the people, take your hands off the elections,” said the senator, targeting left-wing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, whom she accuses of being the director campaign of Mme Sheinbaum.
“The INE and the electoral court must pay attention to the authoritarian instincts and partisan activism of the president,” she added.
On Sunday, a pro-democracy rally against a proposed constitutional reform of power brought together tens of thousands of people in Mexico City.
Galvez is credited with 31% of voting intentions compared to 64% for Claudia Sheinbaum, who filed her candidacy on Sunday.
A third candidate, Jorge Álvarez Máynez, from the Citizen Movement party (center left) received 5% of voting intentions, ten days before the official launch of the campaign on 1er March.
The opposition senator also denounced the current government’s “tolerance” towards organized crime which “controls vast areas of the country”.
“The government must not allow this territorial control to disturb the citizen will which will be expressed at the ballot boxes,” she warned, presenting her condolences to the families of candidates for local elections already defeated during the pre-campaign.
Drug trafficking cartels interfere in elections with violent actions and campaign financing, to impose candidates who are favorable to them, analysts assure.