Presidential candidates hide party logos

Analysts and political experts believe that, given the loss of prestige of political parties , the strategists of the presidential candidates have chosen this time to emphasize in spots and other advertisements, the qualities of the candidates and minimize the logos of the parties backing them.

Leonardo Curzio, Ph.D. in History and researcher at the Center for Research on North America (CISAN), says the strategy was devised because polls place political parties as the institutions considered the least reliable and trustworthy in Mexico.

José Antonio Meade

, the candidate of the coalition All For Mexico , replaced the logos of the center-right Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the center-right Green Party (PVEM), and the center-right New Alliance Party (PANAL or NA) with three triangles (green, turquoise and red) pointing forwards.

Presidential candidates hide party logos

The red shirts are a thing of the past since, in campaign events, the presidential candidate is seen only wearing white shirts emblazoned with the triangles.

“The [political party] emblems are not popular, they aren't a trump card. Moreover, the rules of the coalitions dilute the image of a party or a political force in favor of a common idea, which, in this case, focuses on the candidate,” explains Curzio.

He added that it is convenient for all presidential candidates to “hide” the political parties because the loss of prestige has led them to boost the qualities of the candidates.

“The clear example of this is [José Antonio] Meade, who wherever he goes says: 'You're not voting for the party, you're voting for me'.”

Ricardo Anaya,

presidential candidate of the For Mexico to the Front coalition , has as a campaign image his last name and in a smaller size appear the logos of the parties.

Presidential candidates hide party logos

The candidate of the conservative National Action Party (PAN) is always seen wearing gray or blue vests in which the name of the coalition can be read on the back, while on the front, on the right side, the logos of the three coalition parties are emblazoned.

“In the case of Anaya, the complexity of his coalition leads both the left Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) and the center-left Citizen's Movement Party (MC) to feel uncomfortable with the National Action, and thus, they promote the candidate,” says Curzio.

Alberto Aziz Nassif, professor and researcher at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies in Social Anthropology (CIESAS) agreed that the candidates are only using the colors of the parties due to the bad reputation associated with the institutions.

“Now the campaigns are customized , where the candidate overshadows the party, that is, they are promoting the vote for the candidate, not the party. For instance, you can't see the logo of the PRI in Meade's spots because that is the strategy,” he asserted.

Aziz Nassif recalls a considerable number of the electorate has strong “anti-PRI” sentiments, as in most polls the PRI is the party citizens are least likely to vote for.

The candidate of the Together We'll Make History coalition, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) , is the main focus in campaign advertisements, the way he dresses, and the slogan of his party: MORENA, Mexico's hope.

This is the first electoral campaign of the left National Regeneration Party (MORENA) as a political party, reason why they don't hide the name and logo.

Presidential candidates hide party logos

“In the case of López Obrador there's no doubt he is it, the candidate, the parties aren't relevant,” mentions Curzio.

For the kickoff event of his campaign in Juárez City, Chihuahua, López Obrador wore a white shirt embroidered with the MORENA logo on the chest and neck.

“If MORENA doesn't [hide the logo of the party] is because this is a new party, a young party, which has positioned itself as an alternative with its speech against the system. This is why López Obrador associates his party in campaign advertisements,” points out the Khemvirg Puente, a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

He adds that campaigns are showcasing the candidates as a person and that this is the way in which they plan to attract voters, making them relatable.

Fernando Dworak, specializing on Legislative Studies at the Hull University in the United Kingdom, agreed that the PAN and the PRD aren't going through their best moment and that the PRI has a poor brand-party.

The analysis of EL UNIVERSAL doesn't include Margarita Zavala as he is the only independent candidate and, therefore, isn't backed by a political party.

Of coalitions and alliances

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