Margarita Zavala Could Become Mexico’s First Female President

Former President Says It Will Be Hard for Anyone to Challenge Her Candidacy

According to the former President of Mexica, PAN will slowly start to rally around Margarita Zavala. (NDMX)

Former President of Mexico Vicente Fox said the National Action Party (PAN) has already chosen its candidate for the 2018 Presidential election — Margarita Zavala — and it will be very hard for anyone to challenge her candidacy.
Fox said it was smart for Zavala not to use her married name — that of former President Felipe Calderón — because the chances of her winning would have been reduced to zero.
In an interview with Radio Fórumula, Fox said Zavala and Calderón worked on elections in the past, and contributed to the success PAN had historically.
“She primarily campaigned nationwide, and did well,” Fox said. “They are a large reason for the party’s success, but a lot remains to be seen. There is still a ways to go. I think National Action already has its candidate.”



“I’m practically giving it to her on the fact that it is going to be very difficult for someone else to take it from her. She has the height, the presentation and the recognition within PAN as well as the devotion and passion for going after the presidency.”

Fox added that former first ladies — to the Governor of Guanajuato Miguel Márquez and to the Governor of Puebla Rafael Moreno Valle — could be competitors, but should speed up the process or risk being left out of the competition.

Fox added that they would be competitors of the former first lady, as the Governor of Guanajuato, Miguel Márquez and Governor of Pueblo Rafael Moreno Valle are still handled with some caution and, if not accelerating the passage, will be left out of the competition.
In response to a question about whether his criticism of the government of Felipe Calderón extended to Zavala, Fox said, “Those things still apply to him, but only him.”
One of his biggest mistakes, Fox said, was using the army in the fight against organized crime, as killings continue and the problem has still not been resolved.
“She (Zavala) moves in the opposite direction. Certainly it would be better not to put Calderón or Magarita de Calderón on the task because that would reduce solutions to zero.”

López Obrador out of options

Fox said he doesn’t see strength in tabasqueño or in Obrador’s party for 2018, and although he has some followers, “it isn’t enough of a presence to make a difference in voting. Of the 12 seats at play, they won’t get any … the vote count is indicating that people don’t want to take serious risks in Mexico.”
In the case of Veracruz, where the Morena candidate received close to 800 thousand votes, what happened was a “mix of irritation, and annoyance with the government” that did not end well for independent candidates. The day was marked by an “unhappy vote” and Morena “completely absorbed it all.”
According to Fox, the election results last Sunday represent a “partial defeat” for the President Enrique Peña Nieto, because although he has managed to keep inflation from increasing and the economy has been under control, there are still lots of issues surrounding human rights and general violence in the country.
Source: Excelsior