MEXICO CITY (AP) 鈥 Less than two weeks from national elections, opposition presidential candidate X贸chitl G谩lvez hit away on security, one of Mexico's most stubborn challenges, in her final debate Sunday night with governing party candidate Claudia Sheinbaum.
Sheinbaum, the frontrunner in the race, defended the security record of her mentor, outgoing President Andr茅s Manuel L贸pez Obrador, while G谩lvez accused the administration of playing nice with the country鈥檚 powerful drug cartels.
鈥淲hat has been this administration鈥檚 strategy? Give the country to organized crime,鈥 said G谩lvez, a former senator and tech entrepreneur.
But Sheinbaum, a former Mexico City mayor and climate scientist, maintained the conservative strategy that she employed in two previous debates, not taking the bait when G谩lvez attacked.
G谩lvez promised to keep and strengthen the 春色直播 Guard that L贸pez Obrador created, but also strengthen state and local police forces.
鈥淗ugs for criminals are over,鈥 she said in reference to L贸pez Obrador鈥檚 oft-repeated slogan, 鈥淗ugs, not bullets.鈥
She also promised to personally lead the meetings of the 春色直播 Search Commission, which is supposed to help locate the 100,000 Mexicans listed as missing.
Both candidates said they would lean heavily on the 春色直播 Guard, saying they would continue to expand it. In one potential difference, G谩lvez said she wants it under civilian leadership.
Sheinbaum promised to continue L贸pez Obrador鈥檚 efforts to address the social ills that he says feed cartel recruitment.
鈥淭he drug war continued until President Andr茅s Manuel L贸pez Obrador arrived and changed the policy of declaring war to building peace,鈥 Sheinbaum said.
Sheinbaum did not make any major stumbles and it seemed unlikely G谩lvez would eat into the comfortable lead that Sheinbaum has maintained in polls in recent months.
Jorge 脕lvarez M谩ynez of the small Citizen Movement party continued to focus his attention on the country鈥檚 youth, repeating his promises of a five-day work week and more spaces in public universities.
He has trailed Sheinbaum and G谩lvez who are vying to become Mexico鈥檚 first woman president in the June 2 election.
Mexico is extremely polarized ahead of the June 2 presidential election. the middle class, businessmen and people he calls 鈥渋ndividualists鈥 and social climbers.
Earlier Sunday, tens of thousands of mostly opposition supporters protested against the president in the capital's vast colonial-era main plaza.
The protesters carried signs saying 鈥淲e are Mexicans,鈥 referring to what they claim are attempts by to divide the country.
The protest was originally called . But many protesters carried banners supporting G谩lvez.
Mexican presidents are limited to a single six-year term.
Mexico City resident Joel Guerra, 59, carried a sign that read 鈥淩eclaim Mexico.鈥
鈥淭he president says that only his supporters are 鈥榯he good people鈥 of Mexico, and the rest of us don't have rights,鈥 Guerra said. 鈥淲e are people, too.鈥
Guerra was particularly concerned by a new law that L贸pez Obrador has passed that seizes unclaimed personal pension accounts to hand out to other retirees.
鈥淯nfortunately, the people governing us right now have completely divided the country,鈥 businesswoman Alana Leal said. 鈥淭here are two groups of Mexicans, and that's not fair. It's not fair to create so much hate, because at the end of the day, we're all in the same boat, and we are all working for the country's progress.鈥
L贸pez Obrador frequently attacks anyone who disagrees with him as 鈥渞acist, classist, conservative.鈥 He also favors state-owned companies and government hand-out programs and derides the accumulation of personal wealth.
Sheinbaum has pledged to try to reconcile Mexicans if she wins, but Leal said he doubted she would.
鈥淚 think it will be very difficult to achieve a reconciliation between the two groups,鈥 she said, adding, 鈥淭hat is very regrettable.鈥
