As expected, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador confirmed in a mass rally, this time sponsored by the Federal District government his intention to compete for the presidential elections in 2012.

The statements he made  in his "alternative program of government," which was released in the act which was held in the Main Square, were not different from those already widely known and used as a campaign speech, which are synthesized in one premise: to defeat "the mafia in power."

But he said that his movement is not against private enterprise, or the "real businessmen" and assured that in case he reaches the presidency "it will be possible to do business, but without privileges, corruption and impunity."

Rest in Lopez Obrador"s speech was the already widely reported, both in his 2006 presidential campaign and in his journey following his electoral defeat, the same that led him to travel the country and reiterated their commitment "the ones from below."

The event included 35 speakers, one for each entity of the Republic, plus three near Lopez Obrador, who emphasized his commitment with the poor and his tireless fight against the powerful.

Many of the concepts expressed by those who took the microphone came from the most recent book of the so-called “El Peje”, The mafia that took over Mexico...and 2012, which certainly argues that "those who imposed Felipe Calderon, today are blaming him of the disaster and they are showing him as solely responsible.”

But beyond these considerations, with yesterday"s ceremony in the Zocalo, starts virtually the presidential race in 2012, which will certainly set to work against the clock, not only the left, but the rest of the country"s political forces.

A first example of this was that in this act, which meant the "checkered flag" for “El Peje”, did not attend either the head of the Federal District, or the national leadership of the Party of Democratic Revolution, PRD, of which is still formally militant Lopez Obrador.

Nor, of course, attended Manuel Camacho, former Lopez Obrador political strategist and main promoter of the alliances of the left with right (PAN) by the so-called Dialogue for the Reconstruction of Mexico (DIA).

A first prove of the "advantage" of El Peje is that in facts, he put aside the unwritten pact with his partner in political and electoral battles, Marcelo Ebrard, in the sense that the left would go to 2012 with a single candidate and this would be the best positioned in the polls.

Lopez Obrador chose not to respect "the times" of the DIA, as the leaders of the Labor Party and Convergencia, which organized the act of "unveiling" El Peje and replaced with their colors red, orange and yellow the flags and placards before the yellow and black dominated the PRD.

Fully immersed in this, his second start of the presidential campaign, Lopez Obrador identified in the Governor of the State of Mexico, Enrique Pena Nieto, the candidate to be beaten in the race for Los Pinos.

From this moment, the approaches made by El Peje not only broken, at least for now, with the intention that the left present a single candidate, but also imply that there will be no alliance with the PAN, at least in the presidential race and also eliminates other candidates different than Peña Nieto.

Somehow, on this approach, Lopez Obrador has a similar view to President Felipe Calderon, who has also shown, in fact, that a major objective of his government is that PRI return to Los Pinos.

This explains that since the presidential palace are encouraged the idea of forming a PRD-PAN alliance to compete in 2011 for governor of the State of Mexico, which, in case to result triumphant, will virtually greatly diminish the chances of Peña Nieto to be the PRI representative in 2012.

Following the departure of Fernando Gomez Mont head of the Interior Secretariat, in much caused by he was against of PRD-PAN alliance, which he described as "electoral fraud", the way for a new formula of this kind in the State of Mexico was clear, especially because Lopez Obrador, who now represents PT and Convergencia, also fails.

Does this mean that Lopez Obrador prefers to deal with Peña Nieto in the race for presidency of the Republic in 2012?

Probably yes, since Peña Nieto, although has not been self unveiled as El Peje, leads by far the polls, which measure the ability of PRI candidates to arrive to Los Pinos.

In other words, Lopez Obrador is now selecting his opponent, and of course, he will try to determine times and methods of competition.

Hence he is setting now that he will make his campaign "town by town" without the media, since he assures it has no place, particularly since television "is running with Peña Nieto."

As a political strategy is clear and with precise objectives: El Peje love the roll of victim and at the same time he started a war of attrition against the strongest rival, in this case, Peña Nieto.

Of course this will be taken into account and will move the PRI and the PAN, as it did with the left, since in the road they would be removed from the vision of El Peje, besides Marcelo Ebrard, the PRI members Manlio Fabio Beltrones and Beatriz Paredes, and in serious dispute over the PAN presidential candidate Ernesto Cordero, Alonso Lujambio, Cesar Nava, Josefina Vazquez Mota and those openly outside the focus of Los Pinos: Santiago Creel and Manuel Espino.

Will they seriously consider El Peje? Most likely yes, since they well recall that in the last election got 15 million votes and the result was so controversial that the PRI now say they had help Calderon so he could sit in the presidential chair. In short, the race for 2012 is not only started but already has come a long way.