Meet the Mexican president’s 'Mini-Me'

He's dapper, young, active, married to a former actress, and always looking for a camera to smile into.

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Meet Manuel Velasco, a man who is so similar in appearance to Enrique Peña Nieto that some have started to see him as the president's doppelgänger, or "Mini-Me."

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It's a similarity that's by design. Velasco, the governor of the southern state of Chiapas, is considered the early heir apparent to the presidency; many Mexicans think the incumbent PRI is already grooming him to become its top candidate for the job in 2018.

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Here's a quick, side-by-side look at the current president and the man who hopes to succeed him.

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Peña Nieto (left) and Velasco (right) are both married to attractive former actresses who used to work for Mexico’s media giant Televisa.

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They both have great hair, and never sweat.

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They both love to promote their image: During his first year in office Velasco spent approximately $10 million in publicity. When Peña Nieto was governor of Mexico State, he was criticized for spending similarly exorbitant sums to promote himself.

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Both men love to pose on the covers of Mexico’s elitist gossip magazines.

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And they both look slightly out of place when trying to "party with the people."

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And mini-me is always eager to edge into the photo op with his mentor.

While the two men have a lot in common, Peña Nieto is much kinder to his Mini-Me than Velasco is to his— as seen here when he recently face-slapped his assistant:

Mini-Me then staged an apology after a wave of social media backlash, and had his assistant slap him: