Mexican presidential candidates spar over security in final debate

Xochitl Galvez, the presidential candidate of the 'Fuerza y Corazon por Mexico', an alliance of opposition parties, gestures during the last presidential debate at the Tlatelolco University Cultural Center, in Mexico City, Mexico, May 19, 2024. REUTERS/Quetzalli Nicte-Ha

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's major presidential candidates squared off Sunday night in a debate focused on security, with the ruling party hopeful defending the outgoing president's policy even as her main rival harshly criticized both for record levels of violent crime.

Former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum of the leftist ruling Morena party pledged continuity with the largely non-confrontational security policies of her mentor, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, while also touting her crime-fighting record as leader of the sprawling capital.