Posted on 12/01/2006 9:23:53 AM PST by NormsRevenge
MEXICO CITY - Felipe Calderon took the oath of office as Mexico's president Friday amid jeers and whistles, in a lightning-fast ceremony before congress that was preceded by a brawl between lawmakers divided over the tight presidential election.
Calderon entered through a back door and appeared suddenly on the speaker's platform, which was the site of three days of fistfights and sit-ins by lawmakers seeking to control the stage. Physically protected by dozens of lawmakers and flanked by outgoing President Vicente Fox, Calderon swore to uphold the constitution in comments almost inaudible over the noise.
Congress' leader ordered the national anthem played, momentarily stilling the catcalls and shouting, before Calderon made a quick exit and congress adjourned. Foreign dignitaries — including former President George H.W. Bush, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and Spanish Prince Felipe Asturias — sat in a balcony overlooking the scene.
"He did it! He did it!" chanted ruling party lawmakers.
Former presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, of the Democratic Revolution Party, or PRD, claims he was robbed of the presidency and has declared himself "legitimate president." He called on thousands of supporters in Mexico's main Zocalo plaza to march peacefully to the National Auditorium, where Calderon was scheduled to address the nation.
His supporters in Congress had seized entrances to the congressional chamber Friday morning in an attempt to block Calderon from taking office. The leftist lawmakers, who draped a giant banner across the chamber reading "Mexico doesn't deserve a traitor to democracy as president," exchanged punches with ruling-party lawmakers and erected barricades of chairs as Calderon supporters chanted "Mexico wants peace."
Anticipating the standoff, the conservative Calderon took control of the presidential residence hours earlier in an unusual midnight ceremony with Fox, swearing in part of his Cabinet.
That left experts on Mexico's constitution puzzled over whether Mexico had a president Friday morning. The constitution requires presidents to be sworn in "before congress," and Friday's brief ceremony in the congressional chamber appeared to put the technical debate over Calderon's legitimacy to rest.
Bush, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza and several bodyguards, said the chaos did not bother him.
"I'm not worried at all. It will work out," he said, adding: "The U.S. will work with him every way we can."
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger quipped as he arrived: "It's good action."
Calderon, in the midnight ceremony, acknowledged the political chaos.
"I am not unaware of the complexity of the political times we are living through, nor of our differences," he said. "But I am convinced that today we should put an end to our disagreements and from there, start a new stage whose only aim would be to place the interests of the nation above our differences."
He was expected to address the nation the nation at the heavily guarded National Auditorium on the other side of Mexico City. He then planned to go to an adjacent military parade ground where army commanders will swear allegiance to the elected head of state, symbolizing the military's tradition of staying out of politics since the 1930s.
___
Associated Press reporter E. Eduardo Castillo contributed to this report.
On the Net:
Calderon's English language Web site:
http://www.felipe.org.mx/fc/html/eng/index.htm
Mexican President Felipe Calderon touches his heart after being sworn in at the National Congress during his inauguration ceremony amidst a congress partially seized by lawmakers who tried unsuccessfully to block his swearing in ceremony in Mexico City on Friday Dec. 1, 2006.(AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
Supporters of former presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador march to protest the inauguration of new president Felipe Calderon in Mexico City, Friday Dec. 1, 2006. (AP Photo/Walter Astrada)
A supporter of former presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador holds a poster of new president Felipe Calderon during a march in Mexico City, Friday Dec. 1, 2006. Felipe Calderon took the oath of office as Mexico's president Friday. The top of the poster reads ' Crazy Puppet' and the bottom 'Fraud' (AP Photo/Walter Astrada)
Mexico is a crystal clear example of how the left doesn't give a crap about free elections or democratic government, all they care about is power and they're willing to use force to get it.
Mexico's Calderon takes power as fists fly
Kieran Murray
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061201/wl_nm/mexico_calderon_dc_13
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Felipe Calderon took power as Mexico's president on Friday despite fist fights in Congress and angry protests from leftists who say he stole July's election and had vowed to prevent him from taking office.
Surrounded by bodyguards, the conservative Calderon slipped into Congress through a back door, quickly declaring the oath of office and putting on the presidential sash as left-wing lawmakers screamed "Get out! Get out!"
He was then rushed out again. The lightning-fast ceremony lasted just four minutes, including the singing of Mexico's national anthem, and Calderon was unable to deliver the traditional speech.
Conservative lawmakers cheered and chanted slogans, while the left-wing opposition blew whistles and jeered.
Dozens of rival deputies earlier threw punches and chairs at each other and leftists built barricades to block the main doors and try to prevent Calderon from entering the building.
Although Calderon's security team outwitted his political foes, the chaotic scenes underlined Mexico's deep political divide, and cast doubt on how successful Calderon can be in ending months of unrest following his razor-thin election victory.
Calderon, 44, wants to push pro-business reforms through Congress, where his ruling National Action Party holds just 40 percent of seats and needs opposition support.
Calderon replaced outgoing President Vicente Fox, an ally and fellow conservative, in a solemn midnight ceremony at the presidential residence in Mexico City. The later swearing-in sealed his taking of office.
STREET PROTESTS
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the fiery anti-poverty campaigner who was Calderon's election rival, led tens of thousands of protesters in a march across the capital to its main concert hall, where the president was to speak later on Friday.
"They violated the constitution and trampled on Mexicans' dignity. They imposed him with a coup, and we are living with the consequences," Lopez Obrador told thousands of supporters in Mexico City's vast central square.
Although Mexico's financial markets were closed on Friday, the peso currency dropped in trading abroad as fights broke out in Congress but partially recovered when Calderon was sworn in.
Former U.S. President George Bush, father of the current U.S. president, and Spain's Crown Prince Felipe were among the few prominent foreign dignitaries to see the chaotic inauguration ceremony.
"It's good action," California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, best known for his Hollywood action movies, said dryly when asked about the brawls on the floor of Congress.
Calderon will be a key ally of the United States in Latin America, which has turned away from Washington in recent years with a string of left-wing gains in presidential elections.
A career politician who has an iron will but little charisma, he will also push for tax, energy and labor reforms and keep a tight rein on government spending even as he promises to cut the vast gap between rich and poor.
Calderon, a Harvard graduate and former energy minister in Fox's government, faces other serious challenges in trying to assert control over an increasingly violent country.
A vicious war between rival drug-smuggling gangs has killed nearly 3,000 people in the last two years, and the popular tourist city of Oaxaca has been wrecked by six months of violent street protests against a state governor.
In Calderon's home state of Michoacan, more than 500 people have been killed this year in a turf war over drugs.
Mexico won full democracy in 2000, when Fox swept to power in an election that ended seven decades of one-party rule.
Leftist scum working to destabilize another country - leftists and Islamists are plagues on humanity!
A new leader for a shockingly corrupt country.
No hope that he'll do anything to stop his country from hemoraging it's worst of the worst to the U.S. because no matter what resources Mexico has, money sent back from the U.S. will always be it's second largest industry (right behind handouts from developed nation's govts.)
Owl_Eagle
If what I just wrote made you sad or angry,
it was probably just a joke.
Mexican lawmakers fight during a brawl in Congress shortly before Felipe Calderon is due to be sworn in as the country's new president in Mexico City December 1, 2006. (Henry Romero/Reuters)
Lawmakers scuffle at the National Congress as as some try to block the arrival of president-elect Felipe Calderon who will be sworn in amidst a congress partially seized by lawmakers who are trying to block the inaugural ceremony in the early morning hours in Mexico City on Friday Dec. 1, 2006.(AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
A new poll shows that 14% of Mexico's population would join a violent insurrection by AMLO. That may not seem like much, but we're talking 15 million people.
"It's good action," California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, best known for his Hollywood action movies, said dryly when asked about the brawls on the floor of Congress.
Just wait until he tries to shove more socialism down the throats of the California Republican members of the the state legislature and the voters.
Norm are you ingesting some medical marijuana today? John Wayne is dead. Danny Devito, Meathead and Lance Bass symbolize California today. Californian's collectively will bend over and gladly take all the socialism sausage you can pack in.
Californian's collectively will bend over and gladly take all the socialism sausage you can pack in.
--
Maybe the collectives and commies will..
Try not to buy into the myth that all of california is certifiably nuts.
It isn't, fortunately,, we have some fruit and flakes in the mix too.
(/exhale)
LOL! I share your pain. I live North of you and we share the same state complexion.
Surrounded by bodyguards, conservative Calderon slipped into the main hall of Congress through a back entrance, quickly declared the oath of office and put on the presidential sash before being rushed out again.
Dozens of rival lawmakers earlier threw punches and chairs at each other and leftists built barricades hoping to block doors and prevent Calderon from entering the building.
and ......
Calderon entered through a back door and appeared suddenly on the speaker's platform, which was the site of three days of fistfights
Here is the best part....
Foreign dignitaries — including former President George H.W. Bush, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and Spanish Prince Felipe Asturias — sat in a balcony overlooking the scene.
Bush, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza and several bodyguards, said the chaos did not bother him.
"I'm not worried at all. It will work out," he said, adding: "The U.S. will work with him every way we can."
I guess daddy Bush was there with the rep from Columbia (drugs) and Spain (TransTexas Corridor) to be sure that all went as planned... Good ol Tony (married the wealthiest Mexican woman in Mexico) will be sure to let George and the boyz know just what mexico is ordering them to do.
This is the human powderkeg that 75 years of PRI style socialism has left in it's wake. The human debris are trying to resist the peaceful progress of democratic capitalism (PAN's Calderon) because they realize they, the (PRI and PRD) are being consigned to the trash heap of Mexican history.
Likewise Florida, Ohio, and Washington (state) ... at the very least.
PAN are not conservative, if you can name one "conservative" thing Vicente Fox stood for during his six years in office (and if you're going to say capitalism and free trade, then PRI would also be "conservative") I have a bridge to sell you. Note that "conservative" PAN was cheering on the Democrat takeover of the U.S.
PNR has its share of socialist nuts, but has never held the Presidency once in Mexican history. All the liberal welfare state garbage was passed by PRI/PAN. The only difference with PNR is their leftists are apparently unhinged and go insane when another political party takes power to loot and steal from the people instead of them.
You'll note that Ahnuld Schwartnegger happily attended this inauguration. Ahnuld and Vicente Fox are ideological twins, being members of a "conservative" party who govern by passing whatever liberals want. They get along splendidly.
All three "main" parties in Mexico are run by corrupt socialists. The only difference is PNR is open about it.
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