Mexico election too close to call (exit poll released)

Reuters ^ | 7/2/06 | Kieran Murray and Alistair Bell

[lauriehelds]

Kieran Murray and Alistair Bell

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's presidential election is too close to call between a leftist anti-poverty campaigner and the conservative ruling party candidate locked in a tie, a respected exit poll said on Sunday.

The extremely close vote raised fears of a political crisis if any of the main candidates challenge the results and call street protests.

Pre-election polls had showed Felipe Calderon of the ruling party and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the left-wing former mayor of Mexico City, in a virtual tie. Exit polls from Mexico's two main television station and the El Universal newspaper said they could not declare a winner.

El Universal said the race was between Lopez Obrador and Calderon. Neither of the TV stations mentioned Roberto Madrazo of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, which ruled Mexico for most of the 20th century.

The Federal Electoral Institute was expected to announce official results at around 11 p.m. If it is unable to call a winner, Mexico could face days or weeks of legal wrangling and protests similar to the fight that followed the U.S. presidential election in 2000.

[goldstategop]

Mexico introduced proportional representation in the mid 70s. The PRI modernized and opened up Mexico and for decades ran the world's perfect dictatorship. Today, they're running third. So much for the conventional wisdom Mexicans were tired of democracy and would vote Madrazo back in. Looks like it hasn't happened. The fear is gone.

(The Palestinian terrorist regime is the crisis and Israel's fist is the answer.)

[Heartofsong83]

Calderon 39.1%
Obrador 35.4%
Madrazo 18.8%

17.69% reporting

[burzum]

wonderful. they'll continue to push poor Mexicans from the south into the US. I want Obrador to win. At least we'll know what we're dealing with instead of the two-faced Fox and Calderon.

Do you realize how destabilizing that would be to our national interests? Mexico supplies about the same amount of oil to the US as Venezuela does. Why do you think Chavez supports AMLO?

If AMLO wins, this would be the biggest gain for socialists in the world since Chavez was elected.

[GeronL]

A lot of those natural PRD voters came to America and began supporting PAN while those left in Mexico are still split but the tiny middle class is definitely PAN

[goldstategop]

The PRI is no longer the party of government. You're seeing the old machine party being supplanted by a conservative party of free markets and traditional values and a socialist party of a planned economy and progressive change. Looks like Mexican democracy has finally arrived to stay for good.

(The Palestinian terrorist regime is the crisis and Israel's fist is the answer.)

[Heartofsong83]

The state of Tabasco is laughable - Calderon has barely 3% of the votes there!

[Heartofsong83]

If he is elected, Mexico should be purged from NAFTA and the walls should be permanent and extreme. Perhaps annexing Obrador-unfriendly areas then build the wall?

[burzum]

Mexico's Constitution limits a President to a single six year term. He is constitutionally ineligible to run for re-election.

That limit won't last long if AMLO wins (in the Chavez style).

[GeronL]

nbenyo is nuts. A PRD government would crash their economy and they'd probably want $100 a barrel oil for their programs

[goldstategop]

The division in Mexico runs between the wealthy north and the poor south. The PAN in running strongest in the northern states and PRD is taking pretty much the rest of the country.

(The Palestinian terrorist regime is the crisis and Israel's fist is the answer.)

[Torie]

I thought the Mexico district was the federal district. My bad. In any event, here is the latest five region projection, ignoring the annoyance parties:

Calderon          Dinosaur        Socialist
0.415430682	0.206666401	0.377902917

[Heartofsong83]

Mexico state = the suburbs and rural areas surrounding Mexico City.

[Torie]

Thanks.

[burzum]

If he is elected, Mexico should be purged from NAFTA and the walls should be permanent and extreme. Perhaps annexing Obrador-unfriendly areas then build the wall?

He's a socialist. He will remove Mexico from NAFTA before we purge them. It is more important to socialists to have someone to blame than to reap economic gains. It is always easy for socialists to say that the US is responsible for some country's poverty because the US is looting the poor.

[GeronL]

NAFTA-fare is the best thing that ever happened for Mexico, the PRD will impoverish that nation and blame America for their ills. Its what socialists-communists do the world over

[AdrianR]

Thanks! I wonder why the media is not callling it for Calderon.

[Heartofsong83]

It's a choice between First World and Third World here. It should be a no-brainer.

[Heartofsong83]

Maybe they think the southern areas have the most to come?

[Heartofsong83]

Calderon - 38.9%
Obrador - 35.5%
Madrazo - 19.0%

21.59% reporting

[GeronL]

Calderon!! You go Caldy..

just kidding... Viva la Calderon

=o)