World
 
|
Leftist Mexican candidate threatens upheaval if rival confirmed as winner
AFP
MEXICO CITY
Petroleumworld.com 08 14 06
Leftist Mexican presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Sunday threatened more street protests if his conservative rival is declared winner, presenting a direct challenge to outgoing President Vicente Fox.
The leftist former Mexico City mayor officially lost the July 2 presidential election by some 244,000 votes, or 0.58 percent of the poll, to Felipe Calderon of the governing National Action Party (PAN).
But Lopez Obrador and his supporters insist the vote was marred by fraud and are demanding a full recount. Election officials agreed to a partial recount of nine percent of polling stations that was to conclude late Sunday.
Leftist leaders are convinced that there were enough questionable ballots cast to annul Calderon's declared victory. But if election authorities declare him the winner, Lopez Obrador vowed to lead four mass protest rallies that would disrupt official acts by both Fox and the putative president-elect.
"I propose that we mobilize . . . when they intend to hand over the confirmation of the president-elect to the right-wing candidate," said Lopez Obrador, speaking to a downtown Mexico City crowd that police estimated at 30,000.
He also proposed a protest at Mexico's legislature on September 1, "the date of the presidential report by that traitor of democracy that is Fox," he said.
Lopez Obrador then called for a protest on the night of September 15 -- when the Mexican call for independence is re-enacted -- as well as the following day, when the holiday is celebrated.
While protests at the first two events were expected, Lopez Obrador's goal to disrupt Independence Day celebrations represents a challenge to Fox's authority.
Tradition calls for the Mexican president to re-enact the 1810 call for independence from the National Palace, located on the downtown Zocalo -- where thousands of Lopez Obrador supporters have been camped out since July 31.
And on September 16 the Mexican army holds a parade that follows the route currently blocked by protesters and ends in the Zocalo.
Thousands of Lopez Obrador supporters have been camped out in Mexico City since July 31, blocking some eight kilometers (five miles) of the city's main avenue and preventing access to much of the city's historic and financial downtown area.
"We're not going to move, we're going to stay as long as is necessary in the (protest) camps," said Lopez Obrador.
Mexico City Mayor Alejandro Encinas, a member of Lopez Obrador's party, said on Friday that the parade route was "absolutely guaranteed."
Mexico's electoral court must make final rulings by August 31, and declare officially the president-elect for the 2006-2012 term no later than September 6.
The leftist candidate also held the electoral court magistrates directly responsible for a "historic moment" in Mexico.
Whatever the court's ruling, 2006 "will become a watershed in the national history," he said.
AFP 13 23 30 GMT 08 06
Copyright ©2006 AFP. All Rights Reserved.
Your
feedback is important to us!
We invite all our readers to share with us
their views and comments about this article.
Write to editor@petroleumworld.com
Any
question or suggestions, please write to:
editor@petroleumworld.com
Best
Viewed with IE
5.01+
Windows
NT 4.0, '95, '98 and ME +/ 800x600 pixels