Mexico's Federal Electoral Institute Rejects Charge that it Put the Election in Doubt (Translation)

ElUniversal.com.mx ^ | July 6, 2006 | eluniversal.com.mx (translated by self)

[StJacques]

The President Advisor of the Federal Electoral Institute, Luis Carlos Ugalde, indicates that they have fulfilled their work, and if some party wants to interpose some recourse [to challenge the result], it will count on the TRIFE¹

The President Advisor of the Federal Electoral Institute, Luis Carlos Ugalde, said that "to doubt the IFE is to doubt hundreds of thousands of Mexicans" who worked in Sunday's elections.

With respect to the citizenry the election should not have to be put in doubt. The political parties have the obligation to conduct themselves legally, emphasized Ugalde, in relation to the questionnaires² of the For the Good of All coalition candidate, Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador.

"The IFE has fulfilled its work, and if some party wants to interpose some recourse [to challenge the result], that's the job of the TRIFE, and they are in their rights to go to it."

Luis Carlos Ugalde indicated that the district count can finish at any time, because "we are but a very small step, which can happen in an hour or two, and when we have 100% of the count, [the IFE] calls itself into session, a report will follow, and then the IFE will have concluded its work in presenting the voting results."

He added that "we gave information solely on the numbers, the TRIFE is the one charged with assigning certainty to the majority, but today the IFE concludes its paperwork with regard to the presidency."

In an interview with Jacobo Zabludowsky, Ugalde said that Sunday was an exemplary exercise³, in which only two casillas⁴ had not been disposed of, and the fact that the few incidents reported were resolved according to the law, where the results were collated vote by vote.

--Can the electoral packages [casillas] be opened?

"The IFE has an obligation under the law, but only when justified causes appear, as specified in the law. Yesterday in the district counts there were hundreds of packages that were opened, something the IFE cannot do, since to do so is to go too far for the sake of transparency because transparency is based on law."

The Advisor [Ugalde] also said that the IFE is an authority which fulfills the law in the face of all parties and does not individualize it; "the IFE organized millions of Mexicans, in this sense it is a facilitator and to doubt the election is to doubt them (the citizens)."

About the problem of the chronology of the 3 million votes with inconsistencies that were accepted as completed ballots, Ugalde explained that last February 10 the parties reached an agreement with the IFE that these would be gathered into an archive named "Inconsistencies."

"It was explained Tuesday that a little more than eleven thousand votes had landed in the file, as we were so informed, and in a simultaneous manner it was argued that there were 3 million missing votes, but they were not missing, there was only the inconsistency of remembering the file, which generated the confusion," the Advisor [Ugalde] indicated.

Ugalde added that these ballots were reviewed yesterday and today and they already have been added to the final tabulation.

In wrapping up the interview, he said that that "we Mexicans must be proud, calm, and serene because we carried out Mexico's most competitive election in a legal way," and pointedly stated that few countries in the world have had such close elections, emphasizing all the more the tranquil climate within which the process was carried out.

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Translator's Notes:

¹TRIFE is the acronym for Mexico's Federal Electoral Tribunal.

²Ugalde may be referring to the 5 million guides the PRD printed and distributed to their activists explaining how, in the opinion of the PRD, Lopez Obrador won the election. See http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1660501/posts for more information.

³Ugalde's agency, the Federal Electoral Institute, or "IFE," also encompasses the Programa de Resultados Electorales Preliminares (PREP), which handled the preliminary vote count this past Sunday and Monday.

⁴The term casilla, Spanish translation "square," refers to the sealed crates of ballots which have already been counted at the polling site. Documents recording the results of the count, which are signed by certified representatives of all the major parties at the polling site, are also referred to by the same name.

[StJacques]

Ugalde's defense of the IFE's handling of the preliminary vote count this past Sunday-Monday appears to be quite credible to me. I am particularly struck by two things in his remarks. One is the tone of disbelief he seems to use to describe the opening of the sealed votes (casillas) yesterday during the certification count. I wish he would have gone into more detail on whether he thought that was justified, because I get the clear impression that he does not. The second thing I noted was his reference to the "questionnaires" Lopez Obrador's people were circulating and how they were in error. I have little doubt that AMLO and his followers will do anything to overturn the results of this election, including lying.

[StJacques]

This is the second translation I have posted today. I will try to get one more at least.

[HonduGOP]

ObraGore now will challenge the results, reminiscent of Al Gore in the 2000 election. Thank God that Calderon won because Obrador would have been a major disaster!

[JFC]

I talked with a Mexico City co-worker and they said the right man won. He is the conservative... but the other one is being supported by the corrupt. Sounds much like the dimo party and their support of the Algores and bill clintons of our world. They said the other guy made promises to the poor and needy. He also says it is going to be big protests with those people and that it will get ugly.

[Dane]

Redux2000 of the US Presidential election.

Obragore learned well from his master al gore.

[StJacques]

A ping for the two of you here. I've got you on my list now.

[nopardons]

bttt

[StJacques]

"Redux2000"

Deja vu all over again.

[monkeywrench]

Thanks. It's getting interesting.

[NinoFan]

Thanks for the alert.

[PRND21]

Bump

[conservative in nyc]

Thanks for the translation. I wonder if the casillas were primarily opened in the Northern Mexico PAN bastions to slow the count?

[mjolnir]

Thanks!

Now, isn't TRIFE thought to be pretty much in the pocket of the PRD, though? If so, what's to stop them from pulling a Washington State deal?

[BunnySlippers]

Typical of Democrats slash and burn tactics!

[StJacques]

"Now, isn't TRIFE thought to be pretty much in the pocket of the PRD . . ."

This is what I've been hearing from several fellow Freepers and I must honestly say that I don't know the answer. But if I find anything which suggests they are to the left, you can count on me to come forward with it and ping all of you.

My gut feeling is that because the election is legitimate, the tribunal will not overrule its outcome. Even left-leaning judges would understand the consequences of reversing Calderon's victory, which would be enormous and could potentially lead to a complete disregard for the Mexican federal courts in the northern part of the country. No court wants to be ignored, regardless of its sympathies with one side or the other in a matter before them. [And the Florida Supreme Court paid a steep price in violating that rule.] That fear of marginalization is the one thing I believe will force the tribunal to legitimize Calderon's victory.

[CFC__VRWC]

When you compare the margin of victory predicted by the preliminary total (260,000 votes) to the margin of victory in the official tally (235,000 votes), it's striking how close they are.

[Stultis]

got you on my list now

Thanks!

[livius]

Interesting observations. I hope you're right about the courts, although I imagine that won't stop Obrador from trying, as one gushy US article put it, to "rule from the streets." Not a pretty thought.

[Stultis]

Redux2000 of the US Presidential election.

At least two important differences. First the bad news (from the Mexican perspective): No electoral college, so it's not just confined to one state. "Obragore" can go looking for votes to steal anywhere in the country.

BUT, much more important, the good news: The electoral system is much more credible with the citizenry than in America 2000, and there's ONE uniform system and ONE set of laws and ONE body to interpret the law for the purpose of initially counting the votes, and then ONE body to hear and decide legal challenges to the polling. These bodies both depend for their prestige and credibility on straightforward, hard-nosed and nonpartisan interpretation and application of the election law.

There's little if any opportunity for the rampant venue shopping practiced by algore, and his intimidation of individual counties who were mandated to interpret the Florida election law individually for the purpose of recounts. This ability to continually shift venues was crucial for algore to keep the controversy going in 2000.

I don't see how "Obragore" is going to be able to pull this off. The only way, save if some genuine problems with the tally emerge, is to create chaos in the streets. I don't think he'll manage that either. The government will unleash riot police, even the military, on protesters if need be, and will have the support of enough of the people to do so. Many Mexicans will be revolted by "Obragore" if he keeps this up because he will be sullying their just pride in an extremely well conducted election.

[Stultis]

Thanks for the translation. I wonder if the casillas were primarily opened in the Northern Mexico PAN bastions to slow the count?

Just a guess, but I bet you're right.