Joaquín “Huacho” Díaz Mena of Morena surprises in Yucatán and is emerging as the winner in the gubernatorial election.
(Mérida, Yucatan – Times Media Mexico) – Joaquín “Huacho” Díaz Mena, candidate for the governorship of Yucatán for the coalition headed by Morena, is ahead of PAN candidate and former mayor of Mérida, Renán Barrera Concha, according to quick counts.
According to the estimates of the quick counts carried out by the National Electoral Institute (INE), Sigamos Haciendo Historia’s candidate received a vote of between 46.5 and 51.6%. In second place is the PAN candidate, Renan Barrera Coche, who has been mayor of Merida on three occasions, with a vote of between 41.4% and 46.7%.
Yesterday afternoon, Sunday, June 2, both candidates declared themselves winners of the race; first, the national leader of Morena, Mario Delgado, announced that his party would win the nine governorships in dispute; then Barrera, accompanied by the state leadership of his party, boasted a resounding lead, both based on exit polls.
With these results, Yucatán will have a Morena governor for the first time. Previously, it was governed by PRI governors and, on two occasions, by PAN governors.
Who is Joaquín “Huacho” Díaz Mena?
Huacho” Díaz Mena is a native of San Felipe, a municipality in eastern Yucatán; the virtual winner of the gubernatorial election was also a PAN militant, where he was mayor of his hometown and local and federal deputy. He achieved the governorship of Yucatán in his second election, after having tried in 2018, a race that ended in third place behind the PAN’s Mauricio Vila and the PRI’s Mauricio Sahuí. After his defeat in 2018, he served in López Obrador’s government as state coordinator of the Welfare Programs in Yucatán.
Currently, Yucatán is considered the safest entity in Mexico. It has the lowest intentional homicide rate and the highest levels of security perception in the country. However, poverty and social polarization have become a constant, with just over 2 million inhabitants, of which 38.8% live in poverty, according to Coneval data.
Joaquín Díaz Mena will face a state that is currently in a climate crisis due to the high temperatures that plague the state, much of it due to deforestation caused by urban growth, especially in the state capital, Mérida, as well as pollution and lack of access to water, which compromise sustainable development and the wellbeing of the population in the state.
In Mérida, Cecilia Patrón Laviada, the candidate of the Pan party, is the virtual winner.
The Yucatan Times
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