Seeing Double

You may know Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), Margarita Zavala and José Antonio Meade as candidates for Mexico’s highest office, but did you also know that they are running for ASFM student council president?

Luis Santos preaches for change, represents la raza, and wears traditional Mexican clothing for photo ops much like El Peje. Viola Hernandez, A.K.A Margarita Zavala, is a strong feminist whose boyfriend is also in politics running as her vice-president. Tania de la Garza looks to be the third vice president in a row to secure the presidency, perfect dictatorship much Tania? (Be careful not to make the PRI jealous with your dedazos.)

All jokes aside, this need for analogies and stereotypes may say more about us, the electorate, than the candidates. In today’s increasingly media driven world, personalities and not policy are becoming the center of political campaigns (Trump excluded of course).

At ASFM, efforts are being made to make sure the opposite is true. All proposals presented during running week have already been pre-approved by Ms. Lamadrid and the candidates were chosen anonymously by the faculty based on their proposed policies.

In 2006 AMLO lost a very competed election where the difference between first and second was inside the IFE’s (Instituto Federal Electoral) statistical margin of error. His subsequent tantrum and demand for a recount eerily echoes last year’s student council elections. This would mean that Meade, excuse me, Tania, is favoured by history to win this election just like Peña Nieto in 2012.