Fox Taming

The Mexican Supreme Court ordered President Fox to stop the broadcasting of TV spots promoting governmental social programs under the tagline: “If we stay the same way tomorrow’s Mexico will be better than yesterday’s”.

Although Vicente Fox is not running, the Supreme Court considered these ads would benefit ruling party candidate Felipe Calderon.

Recent opinion polls give leftist candidate Manuel Lopez Obrador a 5-9% lead over both, Felipe Calderón and Roberto Madrazo from the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) that governed Mexico for more than seventy years.

REUTERS reports these results from two different polls:

Milenio Diario’s (A newspaper) Survey:
-Manuel Lopez Obrador (PRD): 36%
-Felipe Calderón (PAN): 31%
-Roberto Madrazo (PRI): 31%

Consulta Mitofsky Survey:
-Manuel Lopez Obrador (PRD): 39%
-Felipe Calderón (PAN): 30%
-Roberto Madrazo (PRI): 28%

López Obrador has been characterized as a left-wing populist by media. Mexico is the largest Latin American economy. Election day is Sunday, July 2.