Víctor González Torres

Who is Víctor González Torres?

Víctor González Torres, is a Mexican businessman who ran as a write-in candidate in the 2006 Mexican presidential election. He is nicknamed "Dr. Simi" after the mascot of his national drugstore franchise, Farmacias Similares. Despite not being an official candidate, he made a massive marketing campaign to enter the election. Many media outlets covered his campaign and his struggle with the Federal Electoral Institute for legitimacy, while others considered him a sort of "comic relief".

He is the founder and director of an associated charitable body, The Group for a Better Country, which seeks to provide low-cost medical services and provide a platform against official corruption.

His franchise slogan was "The same only cheaper", and his campaign one was "To serve God and the people of Mexico". As a non-official candidate he frequently stressed the fact that he pays all of his own campaign expenses, thus being the "cheapest" candidate. He attempted to run as a candidate for the Alternativa party, whose campesino wing promoted his bid. The IFE eventually quashed his aspirations by ruling in favor of Patricia Mercado.