Posted on 09/05/2006 10:12:45 AM PDT by Lunatic Fringe
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Conservative ruling party candidate Felipe Calderon won Mexico's ferociously contested July 2 election and is president-elect, the top electoral court said in a draft ruling on Tuesday.
Earlier on Tuesday, the court said Calderon had won with a margin of about 234,000 votes. In this latest draft ruling, the court said he could now be declared president-elect, the first time the election body has made this announcement.
The final, official decision is still to be voted on later in the day by a panel of seven judges, who have already thrown out leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's claims of massive fraud.
It's too late for that. Obrador already has enough of a following to declare him a martyr and start marching his picture all over the country. Mexico's boat is nearing the falls sideways, and if Obrador persists, he's going to take the country to civil war. The question is, does he have the cojones to do it, and does Calderon have the cojones not to back down? There are two ways to back away from the brink - Obrador tells his people to stand down and accept the election results, or Calderon and Obrador both agree to a coalition "coercilition"? government.
If those things don't happen, Calderon will have to use force in an attempt to keep the Left down, and that will only stir more people to their side, since now people can argue that the government is getting "repressive". Want a model? Iran, 1978-79.
"I like to be in America, everything's free in America..."
For a small fee in America!
Rita Moreno sure could step out, eh?
In America...there are not cats.
I don't know about that...I've heard lots of mexicans here in the states talk about returning to Mexico to vote. They all have stated they voted for the now president elect.
Forget the coalition, that would be a huge mistake and set a terrible precedent. IMHO, Calderon needs to hold his ground and let Obrado fall on his own sword.
I bet she still can!
I'm not saying the coalition would be desirable, only that it is one of the few ways out of civil war right now. If Obrador falls on his own sword, they'll make it look like Calderon did it.
Sore Loserman Syndrome
There will be no Civil War becuase only one side is armed.
The Left can bomb a few things, maybe a few assinations. Maybe they get Calderon, but neither the State nor the PAN is dependent on Calderon.
The PRD movement is Obrador. Kill him and the party is taken over by Cuatemoc and Lazaro Cardenas.Inside the Law Leftist.
If there is a "Civil War" it will be the Army and the Federal Police forces killing leftist.See 1970's and 1980's.
Mexico has no 2nd Amendment and the last the Drug kingpins want to do is make a frontal assualt on the central government by arming the Left.
All those Drug dealers that can't be found now and are fugitives wake up dead.
This is unfair - from what I heard the ballots were confusing, and one Jewish district actually voted for Buchanan of all people!
If Obrador wants to push it to the point of violence...so be it, all the while making it clear that that is his decision and one he will bear the consequence for. Then begin governing and ignore the guy unless he forments sedition and violence.
If they give into this guy, whatever vistage of a constitutional repubilc they have remaining, will be destroyed.
Yeah, well they probably haven't WON an election since before 1960 without committing fraud, so when they lose they can only assume they were out-frauded.
Fox already started down that road when he let himself be chased away from his podium for the state of the nation address (or whatever they call it). I got sick over that one.
"Selected, not elected"? Darned Diebold machines.
:-D
Obrador has vowed to set up his own "shadow" government.
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