!['Two Mexicos' prepare to vote amid economic divide](https://www.berlinertageblatt.de/media/shared/articles/58/13/8b/-Two-Mexicos--prepare-to-vote-amid--199665.jpg)
-
Venezuela takes diplomatic jab at Brazil in spat over election
-
Multiple people shot along highway in US state of Kentucky
-
'Super proud' Sabalenka downs Pegula to win US Open thriller
-
In Papua New Guinea, Pope holds mass 'at the edge of the world'
-
Hewett stays positive for wheelchair tennis despite agonising defeat
-
Three things on US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka
-
Sabalenka downs Pegula to win US Open thriller
-
USA men land Paralympic basketball three-peat, Jiang takes 7th swim gold
-
USA slump to first home defeat against Canada in 67 years
-
Argentina hand Australia record 67-27 loss in Rugby Championship
-
England impress on Carsley bow, Germany, Dutch hit five
-
AFP photographer wins top prize for Gaza coverage
-
No Love for Packers for three weeks after ligament sprain: reports
-
Pedro Almodovar: chronicler of modern Spain crowned in Venice
-
Almodovar wins top Venice prize for end-of-life film
-
Trump sounds dark tone at rally, Harris 'ready' for debate
-
Wirtz and Musiala dazzle to kick-start new Germany era
-
Chinese teenager takes 7th gold of Paris Paralympics
-
England interim boss Carsley 'respects' divided opinions over anthem
-
Neuville moves to the front in the Acropolis Rally
-
Garfield, Pugh charm Toronto in new romance 'We Live in Time'
-
21 boys confirmed dead in Kenya school inferno
-
Over 100,000 protest in France against new prime minister
-
Golden 30 minutes takes China to swimming Paralympics swimming domination
-
Green leads Australia to T20 series sweep of Scotland
-
Nigeria, Cameroon win afer chaotic AFCON build-ups
-
Nicole Kidman: A-lister, cinematic chameleon, wins in Venice
-
'I had to prove myself', says Kolisi after win against All Blacks
-
Almodovar wins top prize at Venice film festival
-
Grealish savours England redemption after 'worst summer'
-
Carsley makes flying start as England interim boss in win over Ireland
-
Springboks close on Rugby Championship with storming win over All Blacks
-
Sri Lanka's De Silva and Kamindu Mendis defy England in third Test
-
Farrell's Racing lose on opening day of Top 14
-
Ireland and UK to 'reset' relations as Starmer visits Dublin
-
Dunbar takes second Vuelta stage as Roglic closes in on victory
-
Fritz eyes US Open glory to end 21 years of American hurt
-
Thousands protest in France against new prime minister
-
Death toll from Kenya school blaze rises to 21
-
Brazil's right rallies for 'freedom' after X suspended
-
Trump to hold rally in swing state, Harris preps for debate
-
Stone at the double as Sri Lanka collapse against England in third Test
-
French tennis player takes legal action over online abuse
-
Italy backs Kyiv's 'legitimate defence' as Zelensky presses allies
-
The Body Shop rescued from administration after deal
-
Martin roars to victory in San Marino sprint, extends MotoGP lead
-
Smoke and screams: The horror of Kenya's school dorm inferno
-
MotoGP leader Martin roars to victory in San Marino sprint
-
Ireland and UK to 'reset' relations as Starmer begins Dublin visit
-
Ma Lin turns brutal encounter with bear into glorious Paralympic career
!['Two Mexicos' prepare to vote amid economic divide](https://www.berlinertageblatt.de/media/shared/articles/58/13/8b/-Two-Mexicos--prepare-to-vote-amid--199665.jpg)
'Two Mexicos' prepare to vote amid economic divide
One runs an aerospace parts maker, the other works in a restaurant near a major new oil refinery -- both women will vote in Mexican elections this weekend, but they could be from different countries.
Mexico's economy has long operated at different speeds, with an industrial north closely linked to the neighboring United States outpacing a less developed south.
It is an imbalance that outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has tried to address with infrastructure megaprojects including the oil refinery, a tourist railway and a new airport serving Caribbean beach resorts.
In the northern border state of Nuevo Leon, Blanca Lopez manages a bustling aerospace components maker on the outskirts of the manufacturing hub of Monterrey.
The parts coming off the production line might end up in airplane seats or engines, said Lopez, whose family grew the company from a fledgling business in her father's workshop to a supplier for clients including US giant Boeing.
"It's a source of pride to know that you're doing things well and that your people are well trained," the 41-year-old businesswoman told AFP.
The factory is part of an aerospace cluster that has helped to boost Nuevo Leon's economic output to eight percent of the national total.
Business leaders are optimistic that the border region will benefit from the so-called "nearshoring" trend of companies moving manufacturing from Asia closer to the huge US market.
- Lift the country -
About 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) to the south, Sandra Sanchez waits for customers at a restaurant in Chiltepec.
The picturesque coastal town is located near a new oil refinery that Lopez Obrador's government built in his home state of Tabasco with an investment of $16.8 billion.
"We hope that the people who come will contribute to the town," the 34-year-old said next to chairs that for the moment were empty.
Sanchez said she noticed a difference under Lopez Obrador, who has an approval rating of more than 60 percent but is only allowed to serve one term under the constitution.
The leftist leader showed the potential to "lift up Tabasco" and the entire country, she told AFP.
"The economy did change a lot since his six-year term began," Sanchez said.
Like others in Chiltepec, she has already had a taste of the fruits of the infrastructure investment.
When the refinery was under construction, the restaurant where she works benefited from the arrival of hundreds of construction workers.
At that time, its takings could total 120,000 pesos -- just over $7,000 -- in a single weekend.
Now that construction has finished, that figure has dropped to about $1,200.
Experts say the economy of southern Mexico has been boosted not only by the refinery but also the Maya Train tourist railway, another one of Lopez Obrador's emblematic projects in the Yucatan Peninsula.
Tabasco's economy grew 6.8 percent in 2023 -- the most of any Mexican state -- which analysts at the Spanish bank BBVA attributed to government-linked construction work.
- Sustainability doubts -
Nuevo Leon and Tabasco could not be more different.
Nuevo Leon is ranked fourth of 32 states in a competitiveness index calculated by the Mexican Institute of Competitiveness, based on an assessment of innovation, infrastructure, the labor market and environment.
Tabasco is in 20th place.
Nuevo Leon had a poverty rate of 16 percent in 2022, compared with more than 46 percent in Tabasco, according to official data that showed an improvement of eight percentage points in both compared with 2020.
With the infrastructure investment, southeastern Mexico "will never again be forgotten," according to Lopez Obrador, whose ruling-party ally Claudia Sheinbaum is leading the race to replace him.
However, some experts doubt how sustainable the economic boost will be in the long-term, not only in Tabasco but in other traditionally poorer southern states such as Chiapas and Oaxaca.
Statistics suggest that the number of formal jobs in Tabasco has fallen compared with the time of the refinery construction, said Jesus Carrillo, an expert at the Mexican Institute of Competitiveness.
When the refinery was being built, "everyone was happy," said Juan Gabriel Cordova, a 49-year-old fisherman.
Now "complaints about a lack of work are going to start," he added.
F.Müller--BTB