Mexican opposition parties will pick their candidate for next year’s presidential election by September, after an informal campaign similar to that launched by President Andres Manuel Lopez’s ruling coalition.
The decision, announced Monday, represents a strategy change by the opposition, which had complained to electoral authorities that AMLO’s party had gained an unfair advantage by launching their campaign nearly a year before the 2024 vote.
The informal process starts on July 4 when registration opens for all those interested in representing the opposition parties known as PAN, PRI, and PRD. Morena, the ruling party, launched early in June a three-month campaign to pick its candidate, forcing all contenders to resign from their posts.
The opposition will consider the candidacy of those who obtain at least 150,000 electronic signatures in their support. Once registration is completed and eligibility requirements are met, the names will be announced and one candidate will be picked on Sept. 3 after a series of polls among voters.
Yet the strategy change is unlikely to provide a relevant boost to the opposition, according to Eurasia Group.
“The opposition currently lacks competitive candidates and a compelling narrative, and this selection process is unlikely to address these challenges,” Eurasia’s analysts Daniel Kerner and Matias Gomez Leautaud wrote in a note. “As a result, the eventual Morena candidate remains favored to win the 2024 presidential election.”
Source: El Financiero
