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.

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.”

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.

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

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

They both have great hair, and never sweat.

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.

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

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

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: