Candidate of “Va Por México” in San Luis Potosi rules out subordination to AMLO

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Among the proposals of the Va por México candidate for the government of SLP is the support for micro-SMEs to reactivate the state economy.

San Luis Potosí is one of the main bastions of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and they do not want to lose it, even if that implies that a member of the once rival PAN governs it

For this reason, the Va por México coalition – made up of the PRI, PAN, and PRD political parties- has as its candidate for governor Octavio Pedroza, who so far appears in the polls as the preferred candidate to govern the entity.

In an interview with Forbes Mexico, he points out that if he wins the governorship in San Luis Potosí, the relationship with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador will be institutional, but never subordinate.

“Institutional, respectful, understanding that we are a federal republic. I am not going to be belligerent, I am going to establish positions defending the interests of my state, but taking the relationship in peace. (…) We can think differently on many issues, but never on subordination. If we understand how the federal republic is defined constitutionally, we know that there is no subordination between the three Powers ”, he affirms.

Among his proposals is support for micro-SMEs in order to reactivate the economy in the state, since the Covid-19 pandemic left more than 335,000 unemployed in the state last year, according to the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS).

“We have made the commitment that during our government we are going to have a local procurement policy: support for micro-SMEs is fundamental for us. More than 95% of the generation of jobs in the state gravitates around micro, small and medium enterprises. (We also propose) soft loans, promotion of Potosí products, etc.,” he says.

When he was elected as the coalition candidate, he caused divisions within the PAN political party, especially for differences with Xavier Nava – who disagreed that Pedroza was the standard-bearer, because he wanted to be the one.

“Our main contender was a man from Potosi who is not a member of the PAN, who temporarily held the candidacy and won the (municipal) presidency of San Luis Potosí, but never made an effort to join the PAN,” he points out, referring to Nava.

What is your schedule?

We are distributing our time with the greatest possible presence in the 58 municipalities that San Luis Potosí has. We dedicate a good part of our time to having reasonable, prudent, and careful contact with the population. We have said at all times that we privilege the health protocol.

We have taken a strategy of fixing each week one of the great topics that our proposal comprises. The first week we talked about women’s rights; the second, everything related to security, and the third, the economic reactivation.

What are the main issues in the state?

Without a doubt, the biggest issue that most worries Potosinos is security and the fight against violence in all its aspects: both in common law crimes and high impact crimes. 

In San Luis Potosí, unfortunately, in recent years we have lived through difficult times: the presence of organized crime, but also from the pandemic, and as a result of it, there is a significant number of people who lost their jobs.

Second, the issue of the economy. The job losses that resulted from the pandemic have hurt society; third, the health issue

As a result of the new federal government, in the health centers, in the municipalities far from the capital, there is a severe problem of lack of medicines; we do not have the necessary number of regional level 1 hospitals.

In the case of economic recovery, what proposals does it bring?

We have made the commitment that during our government we will have a local procurement policy: support for micro-SMEs is fundamental for us. More than 95% of the generation of jobs in the state gravitates around micro, small and medium enterprises.

(We also propose) soft loans, promotion of Potosí products, give a value chain to the supply of important companies installed in our state, the automotive cluster, companies that revolve around the metal mechanical industry, establish value chains so that the supply of our state acquires a greater relevance.  

 Will you include in your campaign those who did not accept your candidacy?

Our trajectory supports us. Our main contender was a man from Potosi who is not a member of the PAN, who temporarily held the candidacy and won the (municipal) presidency of San Luis Potosí, but never made an effort to join the PAN, and this made a difference in the internal process, where the PAN turned to see the principles, life practice, the results of the political trajectory. Fortunately, in the internal process, we achieved a favorable result.

Have you searched for this person to include in your campaign?

I did make my efforts and all attempts to establish channels of communication, dialogue; Unfortunately, there was no response from him, and today he is Morena’s candidate. First, he was (a candidate) for the PRD; later, for the PAN, and now he seeks to be reelected representing Morena.

That seems to me that in the eyes of the electorate it shows that there is no congruence and consistency in the line of political thought. That seems to me to be reflected at the ballot box.

Was it difficult for you to accept a candidacy the way the PRI political party is going nowadays?

No, historically I have had great relationships and many friends in the PRI. I believe that today we are able to understand that there is a higher good that is San Luis Potosí and that it was time to forget the differences, antagonisms of the past, and we have summoned to prevent someone who does not have the capacity, the trajectory, to govern San Luis Potosí, which does not guarantee safety.

If the coalition wins, would that mean that the PAN would be recovering SLP or would the PRI continue to govern? 

Who will rule? The people of San Luis Potosí will govern through an alliance where we will be inclusive, where there will be spaces for the participation of the best. Party affiliation doesn’t matter. We are going to govern San Luis Potosí by the best, no matter where it comes from, be it from another party or citizens who are not active in any. 

Source: Forbes Mexico

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