Salinas Pliego’s Presidential Power Dream Runs Into Its Own Limits

“Here we are and here we will remain.” That sing-song line closes the television commercial in which businessman Ricardo Salinas Pliego recounts his business group’s history, including its achievements and failures, praises its founders and challenges the present.

The commercial presents a figure comfortable in his own sphere of power, surrounded by cameras and employees, and hints at a future beyond his role as an investor. At TV Azteca, the network he operates under a concession, news and analysis programs are also being reshaped. New voices say that if they once told the truth, they will now tell the “real truth” with greater force, even when it makes those in power uncomfortable.

Some surveys place Salinas among possible opposition candidates. México Elige says 67.3% see him as the leading figure within the business sector, while 65.8% of PAN supporters approve of a possible candidacy. Massive Caller, with the polling limitations the article notes, gives him 17.6% in an open comparison of potential leaders who could challenge the governing camp.

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Here we are and here we will remain.

But the same profile that attracts attention also imposes limits. His confrontational presence in the media and on social networks, described as close to an elite form of anarcho-capitalism, has produced high rejection among popular sectors. He also faces ongoing tax litigation with the state. The article says his use of state-owned concessions to fight private battles adds a persistent legal and political vulnerability.

The article frames the moment as an ideological and cultural battle. On one side is a government that portrays itself as deeply transformative, despite mistakes that can suddenly return it to the starting point. On the other are businesspeople, political opponents, commentators and intellectuals drawn to television and multimedia infrastructure as a way to establish their own truths and build support. Analysts María Amparo Casar, Héctor Aguilar Camín and Jorge Castañeda have moved into TV Azteca’s new analysis program, “Zero Tolerance.” The article links that media environment to the conservative digital outlet La Derecha Diario and suggests that, from these platforms, a political candidacy may emerge.

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real truth