Definition in the PRI candidate

MEXICO - In Brief 27 Nov 2017 by Esteban Manteca

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The long wait has ended. After much speculation and rumors, this morning José Antonio Meade made official his resignation to the post of Minister of the Treasury to pursue the candidacy of the PRI to the presidency of the Republic. In the same announcement, President Peña named José Antonio González Anaya, former Director General of PEMEX, as the new Minister of the Treasury, and as the new director of the national oil company he named Carlos Treviño, former Chief of Administrative Affairs in Pemex. Meade’s candidacy is attractive for the following reasons: He has a strong record as a proficient and honest public servant. He has not been involved in any corruption scandal. He can be an attractive candidate to many PAN voters that might feel inclined to support a stronger candidate in case AMLO and Meade become the leading options come July. He will try to present himself as a “non partisan” candidate, since he is no official member of the PRI.He has a low profile and a small name recognition. This brings the opportunity to build a candidate with a new narrative, rather than fixing a bad image before the electorate. However, Meade’s candidacy still faces the gigantic challenge of running as the incumbent when President Peña has the worst approval of any other president in recent history. Meade’s anointment brings a major challenge for the Frente Amplio. Two of the main candidates are already identified (Meade and AMLO) and they will begin their campaign and the construction of alliances with other political forces. If they drag their feet around the nomination, they might lose precious time and start the race in an uncomfortable third place. We will be updating this inf...