Mexico’s opposition coalition chose Xochitl Galvez as its presidential candidate to the 2024 election, pitting the strong-willed senator against a yet-to-be-named representative from the powerful ruling party of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
Galvez, a businesswoman who led the commission for indigenous affairs in the early 2000s, will be the nominee for a coalition of three parties that used to dominate Mexican politics until Lopez Obrador shook up the scene with his 2018 presidential victory. Senator Beatriz Paredes, the last other candidate vying for the opposition’s nomination, will step down from the race, the head of her party Alejandro Moreno said in a speech.
The pick of Galvez, a feisty opposition leader who has connected with younger voters thanks to her informal style, puts her on the challenging path to beat Lopez Obrador’s Morena party, which governs most of the country’s states and has a majority of seats in congress with its allies. The president isn’t eligible to seek reelection in June but his popularity, hovering around 60% after five years in government, has paved the way for his party to retain power.
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--With assistance from Alex Vasquez.
