MEXICO’S leading presidential candidate repeatedly touted the social programmes of outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in the second debate Sunday night ahead of the June 2 election.

Former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum of the president’s Morena party continues to hold a healthy lead over Xochitl Galvez of a coalition of right-wing opposition parties and Jorge Alvarez Maynez of the small Citizen Movement party.

Mr Lopez Obrador significantly raised Mexico’s minimum wage and increased spending on social programmes, most of which are popular direct cash transfer programmes. 

Ms Sheinbaum has benefitted from her mentor’s popularity throughout the campaign and promised to continue his programmes.

She called the model of government introduced by Mr Lopez Obrador “humanist, an honest model,” and said she was committed to introducing “better salaries, with better pensions, without raising taxes.”

Even Ms Galvez, Ms Sheinbaum’s most serious competitor, stressed that she would maintain the popular programmes if elected. 

The former senator and tech entrepreneur reminded voters that: “I am a woman who knows poverty and knows how poverty hurts and the time that it steals from you.”

Mr Alvarez Maynez, a former congressman, said he would reduce Mexicans’ working week from six to five days, provide paternity leave and increase holidays. 

He said that despite the social spending of the current administration, young children receive a fraction of what they should because “they don’t vote.”

On the environment and climate change, Ms Sheinbaum, a climate scientist, said she would work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help Mexico adapt to climate change. 

She warned that Ms Galvez would try to privatise the deeply indebted state oil company, known as Pemex.

All three candidates said major changes are needed to address Mexico’s fresh water supply, hit hard in much of the country by a prolonged drought.