Three Presidential Candidates and the United States
Some have speculated that the U.S. government plays a defining role in Mexico’s presidential election. This popular belief unquestionably has no solid base in reality. No evidence exists in historical records showing such influence or intervention. Notwithstanding this speculation, the importance of the two countries’ relationship and the need to maintain security in the region is crucial given that Mexico and the United States share a border stretching almost 2,000 miles and economies that complement each other in important ways.The three leading Mexican presidential candidates (Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Ricardo Anaya and Jose Antonio Meade) have been careful in their statements regarding Mexico’s neighbor to the north. Under the circumstances, they have all stated their intention to maintain respectful relations with such neighbor. AMLO, in representation of the Morena-PES-PT coalition, is the presidential candidate that has utilized more nationalistic rhetoric to signal that he will seek more respect from the U.S. government toward Mexico and its citizens. In the same manner, Ricardo Anaya (PAN-PRD-MC coalition) knows the United States well based on his personal biography and has stated that Mexico desires to “collaborate and build” its relationship with the United States and that this will only be possible if there is respect among Mexicans themselves to avoid a lack of respect towards Mexico by the United States. The PRI candidate, Mr. Meade, has the deepest knowledge of the bilateral relationship based on his experience as Secretary of Treasury and Foreign Affairs and has stated that Mexico must maintain a united posture towards the United States.The above information shows that all of the candidates have a constructive attitude towards strengthening the relationship between both countries. It is clear that all three candidates place high value and importance on this vital bilateral relationship.
