Mexico City.- The candidates were Andres López Obrador from Morena Party; Ricardo Anaya, from "For Mexico in Front" coalition; Juan Antonio Meade from the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and independent candidate Jaime Heliodoro Rodríguez.

The questions posed to the candidates were chosen from a pool of 11 thousand that citizens proposed on social media.

The main subjects of the debate were the economy and development, subdivided in economic growth, poverty, inequality, education, science, technology, healthcare, sustainable development and climate change.

The latest opinion polls have Andres Manuel López Obrador extending his lead in the July 1 election.

Numbers show the left-leaning candidate has a 17-point lead in what is being described as one the bloodiest campaigns in recent memory.

On Friday night, Fernando Purón, a congressional candidate for the PRI and a former mayor of Piedras Negras, Coahuila state, was shot in the back of the head as he was greeting supporters just after leaving a debate, according to footage from a security camera.

Puron's death was the first for a candidate running at the federal level, bringing to 112 the number of candidates, politicians or office holders killed since nationwide campaigning began in September, according to Etellekt, a security consultancy based in Mexico City. (RHC)

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