Posted on 07/04/2006 7:48:21 AM PDT by Dane
Mark Stevenson, Canadian Press Published: Tuesday, July 04, 2006
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico faced the possibility of weeks to months of political uncertainty after the leftist presidential candidate - trailing his conservative rival by a percentage point - called for a vote-by-vote recount, alleging millions of missing votes.
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who campaigned on uplifting Mexico's poor, trailed business-friendly rival Felipe Calderon by more than 400,000 votes in a preliminary count - although electoral officials say they'll declare no winner until after a time-consuming official count that begins Wednesday.
There were some fears that Lopez Obrador's refusal to accept Calderon's apparent victory could throw the country into turmoil. But Lopez Obrador also is haunted by Mexico's memories of 1988, when many believe the then-dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party stole a victory from candidate Cuauhtemoc Cardenas, who went on to found Lopez Obrador's party.
Now Lopez Obrador's allegations of irregularities threaten to drag out the process for weeks, if not months, putting Mexico's young democracy to the test.
"There are about 3 million votes missing," Lopez Obrador told reporters at his campaign headquarters Monday night.
The former Mexico City mayor explained that officials had estimated a voter turnout of about 41 million or 42 million, yet preliminary vote tallies by Mexico's Federal Electoral Institute only showed about 38 million ballots cast.
As a result, the institute's first count is something that "we cannot accept," he said.
Jesus Ortega, Lopez Obrador's campaign manager, added that "in some cases, we are going to demand the opening of ballot packages and vote-by-vote recounts."
Members of Lopez Obrador's Democratic Revolution Party said there were indications that the preliminary count may have been manipulated to favour Calderon's National Action Party, the party of President Vicente Fox. The Federal Electoral Institute did not respond to the allegation.
The official vote count starting Wednesday can take as little as a week, if there are no challenges. Even if a winner is declared, those results can be challenged in court.
After Sunday night's rapid vote-sampling, both candidates immediately declared victory. Representatives of Roberto Madrazo, of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, conceded the race Monday night, Mexican news media reported.
In a television interview Monday night, Calderon said he applauded the "mature, responsible attitude of the PRI candidate," and said he planned as president to reach out to all Mexicans, including his former rivals.
"My intention is to talk with everyone," he said. "Mexico needs everyone."
Earlier on, he vowed to build a conciliatory government to mend rifts after an angry campaign in which nearly two-thirds of the 38 million voters chose other candidates.
"It is time to put our divisions behind us," he said
Lopez Obrador continued to claim victory, saying, "we have a commitment to the citizens to defend the will of millions of Mexicans."
"We are going to employ whatever legal means," he told supporters.
Lopez Obrador claimed there were "many irregularities" in the election, including badly reported results and the double counting of votes. He also asked how it was possible that his party won 155 of 300 electoral districts without winning the presidency.
Many had predicted violent street protests if the vote was too close to call - some of Lopez Obrador's supporters revere him with a near-messianic devotion - but that possibility appeared to diminish after Lopez Obrador's speech on Sunday, in which he did not call for any demonstrations.
Financial markets rallied Monday on preliminary results that showed Calderon, a fiscally conservative former energy secretary, in the lead.
With 98.45 per cent of polling stations reporting, Calderon had 36.38 per cent and Lopez Obrador had 35.34 per cent.
Madrazo was a distant third with 21.57 per cent, and minor candidates and write-ins accounted for the rest.
The former Mexico City mayor explained that officials had estimated a voter turnout of about 41 million or 42 million, yet preliminary vote tallies by Mexico's Federal Electoral Institute only showed about 38 million ballots cast.
Simply amazing, the leftist mindset, projections are always true, while actual numbers are wrong.
Also paging david boies and al gore, you all have a phone call from Mexico City on line 3.
(The Palestinian terrorist regime is the crisis and Israel's fist is the answer.)
My guess is that the leftists (like in Seattle) will continue to demand a recount until they finally have enough votes to declare victory. Carville must be in Mexico.
Looks like Mexico is about to be "Gored".
How do you say "hanging chads" in Spanish?
NO MORDIDA, NO PEACE!
Looks like the Mexicans are going to get Gored.
Damn. You beat me by less than 30 seconds.
Are the DNC talking points published worldwide?
I wonder if Algore is a consultant? I suspect he has offered some "over the counter advice" already.
Joseph Stalin
Oooooh-deja vu! So which of Mexico's states will be Floriduh, hanging chads and all?
....all over again
But, but what about all those disenfranchised voters in the US? Don't they get a say? They are trapped! They are afraid! Someone should get transportation for them all so they can go unfettered to the polls.
Call in Daley, Jesse Jackson and Gore. They are masters of theft, deception and illusion.
How is it elections are only "stolen" when the left loses?
so if the vote count is too close it must be a stolen election? the only vote that counts is when there are millions in difference? *bleep* freaking El Gore clone!
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