In Mérida speech, Peña Nieto co-opts López Obrador theme and promises jobs for Mexico's idle "ninis"

PRI and PRD both promise supporters a "chicken in every pot"

Preaching to the choir last night in Mérida, PRI presidential nominee Enrique Peña Nieto promised jobs for Mexico's "ninis," the eight million or so young people, aged 12-29, who neither work nor go to school. The Mexican government says that 78% of them, or about six million, are girls and young women. Thousands of PRI regulars who turned out to hear their candidate speak at a baseball park in the city's outskirts roared their approval and waved red, white and green flags, known as the PRI tri-color.

Almost two months ago, PRD nominee Andrés Manuel López Obrador addressed exactly the same topic. He promised that seven million jobs would be offered to young people in the first year of his administration, with four million of them on the table within just six weeks. The candidate claims that he has already budgeted for the massive work program: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/11/lopez-obrador-begins-campaign-with-bold.html

"There are no jobs, young people have been ignored, and that's why they've ended upon in the hands of drug traffickers, who've promised them everything they want if they go down that road," said López Obrador in a November 16 speech. "We're not going to ignore Mexico's youth."

At the time, the PRD nominee - who is diligently referred to as "the leftist" by Mexican media - was criticized for what would be an enormously expensive jobs plan, and was accused of being the country's Franklin D. Roosevelt New Deal candidate. But now it appears that Peña Nieto also likes the idea of a "chicken in every pot," and has adopted a very similar campaign promise.

In other remarks last night, Peña Nieto predicted that PRI would recapture not only Los Pinos on July 1, but would make a clean sweep of all senate and house of deputies seats in Yucatán, as well as all of its state legislative seats and dozens of mayoral posts. There is no doubt the PRIstas believe 2012 is their year in the sun. Time will tell if that sun rises.

Jan. 6: Speaking to reporters last night in Mexico City, Peña Nieto said that a PRI victory in July was a "certainty," and predicted that he would "win by a large margin."

Mexico's aimless "ninis": http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/11/young-women-in-mexico-suffer-from-lack.html.