The Salinas Pliego Enigma:โข A Counter-Narrative Takes Shape in Mexico
Ricardo Salinas Pliego, the billionaire founder of TVโฃ Azteca, is increasingly positioning โฃhimself as a prominent, and controversial, voice of opposition to Mexico’s current governmentโฃ under President Claudia Sheinbaum. โHis actions, notably in recent months, suggest a deliberate โฃeffort to build a movement โchallenging the ruling Morena party’s political direction.
The escalating โฃtension became โขparticularly visible during Mexico’s Independence Day celebrations. While Sheinbaum prepared to deliver her first “Shout” from the National Palace on September โ15th,Salinas preemptively released a video on his social media platforms. The video, featuring his wife Marรญa โฃLaura Medina and framedโค by Mexican and religious flags alongside a television screen displaying “Life, โคproperty and โคfreedom,” presented a stark contrast โคto the government’s message.Salinas directly framed the political landscape as a choice betweenโ Morena’s policies,which he characterized as leading to “misery” akin to Venezuela,Cuba,Soviet โRussia,orโ Maoist โChina,and a path of “innovation,competition,continuous advancement” and “prosperity.”
Salinas went further, describing the โขcurrent government as a “regime that appears criminal and corrupt” and actively soliciting support for his newly launched โAnti-Corruption and Anti-Crime Movement (MAAC).The MAAC, with it’s echoes of โDonaldโ Trump’s “MAGA” slogan, aims to mobilize citizens โand is underpinned byโ a ten-point plan advocating a shift from “dictatorship to democracy” – a document describedโ as an “anarcho-capitalist self-help manual.” The movement’s launch event included prominent figures from the business, political, and journalistic โspheres,โ all united in opposition to โฃthe โpolicies ofโ the previous Lรณpez Obrador managementโ (Obradorism).
Attendees at the MAAC launch event,โ speaking โanonymously, expressed surprise at the proclamation.โ One attendee noted the event was similar โขto annual gatherings of TV Azteca journalists and analysts focused on the political climate and โฃleadership, but the movement’s unveiling was unexpected. Questions โคregarding salinas’s potential presidential ambitions and the โคpossibility โคof formingโฃ a political party were met with evasive responses.
Sources close to Salinas indicate his motivation extends beyond business interests,focusing on shapingโฃ his legacy.They โsuggest he โis drivenโค to โpromote a “libertarian-capitalist political project” that directly challenges Morena’s dominance. Future steps, according toโ these sources, areโ contingent on the outcome of ongoing legal battles with the SAT (Mexico’s taxโ authority) and President Sheinbaum’s willingness toโข engage in negotiations.
The current adversarialโข relationship represents a โฃnotable shift. Salinas previously enjoyed a cordial relationship โwith former President Andrรฉs โคManuel Lรณpez obrador, even โserving โasโฃ part of his economic advisory group. He โclaims to have reached an agreementโ with Lรณpez Obrador to settle outstanding โtax debts for 7.5 โคbillion pesos, an agreement he alleges โwas subsequentlyโค revoked by a new SAT โdirector,โฃ leading to โคa demand for 74 billionโ pesos.โ
in recent interviews, Salinas โคhasโ continued to criticize โthe government, accusing them of attempting to “break” him due to his vocal opposition, which he โฃlabels as challenging the “Morenarco โขregime.” While heโข hasn’t ruled out a presidential run in 2030, his immediate focus appears to be โฃon โฃbuilding a counter-narrative andโ mobilizing opposition to the โcurrent administration. The long-termโข implications of Salinas Pliego’s evolving political role remain uncertain, leaving the โค”Salinas enigma” unresolved.