Two presidential candidates in Mexico clashed on Sunday over issues of corruption, gender violence, and healthcare.
Frontrunner Claudia Sheinbaum of the ruling left-wing party and her main rival Xochitl Galvez, accused each other of lies during the heated debate.
Businesswoman Galvez described Sheinbaum as โcold and heartless,โ stressing that she lacked sympathy for child cancer patients and earthquake victims.
Referring to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obradorโs โhugs not bulletsโ strategy to tackle violent crime at its roots, Galvez said: โClaudia Sheinbaum offers you to continue hugging criminals.
โMy offer to you is that we build a Mexico where we put an end to violence, but above all that we focus on health and education.โ
On her part, a former Mexico City Mayor, Sheinbaum, vowed to become โthe first woman president of Mexico.โ
She said the choice was to โreturn to the corruption of the pastโ or โadvance with the transformationโ of the country started by Lopez Obrador.
The outgoing left-wing populist enjoys an approval rating of nearly 70 per cent but is required by the constitution to leave office after one term.