Eruviel Ávila, PRI´s gubernatorial candidate in Mexico State, by classic dedazo

Surprise, surprise. The chosen one - and emphasis on chosen one - to succeed Enrique Peña Nieto as governor of Mexico State was not Alfredo del Mazo, but rather Eruviel Ávila, mayor of Ecatepec.

It's noteworthy for several reasons: Alfredo del Mazo, the scion of the Atlacomulco dynasty in Mexico State, is far closer to Peña Nieto than Ávila - indeed, as noted earlier, he is almost his double - telegenic, well groomed by the media, from a wealthy background, etc - but the choice of Eruviel Ávila signals very much that Peña Nieto and the PRI realized they needed to move away from this image, instead picking a man who is indeed close to a true rags-to-riches story - his father was a bus driver, and young Eruviel worked as ticket taker on board, then as a class cutter, until achieving a doctorate in law at UNAM, and becoming mayor twice of Ecatepec, the position he just recently stepped down from.

Del Mazo was long tipped the favorite - he is the son of a former governor, grandson of another, and, to add, a cousin of Peña Nieto - but the PRI clearly decided that picking another of the Atlacomulco group would not be worth it - and it certainly takes away from the opposition one strong argument against the PRI nominee.

In any event, it is notable how the dedazo is very much alive in the PRI. One by one the PRI's pre-candidates simply declined - there were no votes, open polls, no primary, nothing - until a "candidate of unity" was simply pronounced. That candidate is Eruviel Ávila, who given his modest background may prove an even tougher candidate to beat than del Mazo.

Alejandro Encinas registers to seek PRD candidacy for Mexico State governorship

Alejandro Encinas appeared Friday in Toluca, capital of Mexico State, to register his candidacy to be PRD's candidate for governor in the upcoming elections.

Encinas brought with him a copy of his proof of residency in the state, which according to the document stretches back to 1979. It was notable how quickly this issue died down; indeed, Encinas himself for the longest used as his main reason not to seek this very candidacy that the might run into legal trouble by not fulfilling the requirements of having lived there the past years. That hardly means the issue is dead; expect a legal offensive against Encinas should he gain PRD's nomination and, to be sure, actually win the July 3 election.