MEXICO CITY (AP) 鈥 Mexico鈥檚 small Citizen鈥檚 Movement party on Wednesday nominated a youthful, little-known congressman to run for president in the June 2 election campaign that has been dominated by two women.
The party announced that its candidate will be Rep. Jorge 脕lvarez M谩ynez, 38, who takes up the mantle from a Citizen's Movement candidate who dropped out in December. He will face front-runner Claudia Sheinbaum of the ruling Morena party, and opposition coalition candidate Xochitl G谩lvez.
Sheinbaum leads and G谩lvez takes second place in most polls on the race, practically ensuring that will see its first female president in 2024.
While 脕lvarez M谩ynez is seen as having little chance of winning, his candidacy could help preserve his party鈥檚 access to government funding. In Mexico, parties must win at least 2% of votes in federal elections to preserve their registration; registered parties receive most of their campaign funding from the government.
Short on specific proposals, and dogged by criticism that the Citizen鈥檚 Movement is subservient to the ruling Morena party, the party's campaign has prominently featured the color orange 鈥 particularly orange sneakers 鈥 and a singing indigenous boy (now young man) named Yuawi L贸pez who has appeared in campaign ads.
脕lvarez M谩ynez appeared in his first campaign video with bright orange sneakers.
The party nominated 脕lvarez M谩ynez under the slogan 鈥淭he Candidate of the New,鈥 claiming he is the only candidate who appeals to the country's youth.
鈥淲hat new means is a totally different idea of consistency and legality,鈥 the candidate said in his acceptance speech Wednesday.
In his platform, 脕lvarez M谩ynez tried to strike a middle path between Morena's benefit programs and the conservative opposition's focus on entrepreneurs, saying there should be room for both.
He also pledged to fight Mexico's powerful drug cartels 鈥 something the current president has avoided 鈥 and said 鈥減ublic safety is the theme of the next administration.鈥 He said his efforts would focus on strengthening police and intelligence work.
But even some of the party's high-profile members have criticized the recent campaigning of the Citizen's Movement as superficial.
Gov. Enrique Alfaro 鈥 one of two governors who belongs to Citizen's Movement 鈥 criticized 鈥渢hose who have used the idea of newness to disguise the absurd, those who have taken us down the blind alley of banality, of non-politics.鈥
脕lvarez M谩ynez had served late last year as campaign manager for Samuel Garc铆a, the governor of the northern border state of Nuevo Leon. Garc铆a had been the candidate for Citizen鈥檚 Movement, but to temporarily replace him.
Garc铆a, who is much better known than 脕lvarez M谩ynez, had been polling below 10% in the race.
President Andr茅s Manuel L贸pez Obrador did not immediately comment on the nomination, but the president had openly expressed sympathy for Garc铆a. The Citizen鈥檚 Movement party has been a sometimes ally of the president鈥檚 Morena party.
Critics said L贸pez Obrador had been encouraging Garc铆a鈥檚 doomed candidacy 鈥 as Mexican ruling parties have done frequently in the past 鈥 as a way to split the opposition vote.
