Posted on 07/06/2006 4:45:40 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
LOS ANGELES
Many expatriate Mexicans who supported presidential winner Felipe Calderon weren't celebrating Thursday.
Instead, they worried that the refusal of leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's to accept the official results could spark violent protests back home.
"Calderon might have won, but the people have lost," said Roxana Escarcega, 35, a massage therapist in Los Angeles who cast an absentee ballot for Calderon. "Many won't trust the results, and that could create problems."
Absentee voting was low among expatriates, who were allowed to cast ballots for the first time in a presidential election. More than 58 percent supported Calderon, whose razor-thin victory was announced Thursday by Mexico's Federal Electoral Institute.
Lopez Obrador alleged widespread fraud and vowed to challenge the results in court. He has already called for massive demonstrations Saturday in Mexico City.
Many Hispanic activists in Southern California supported Lopez Obrador as a champion of the poor. They were also organizing protests.
"We need to do what we can on this side of the border to make sure this stolen election doesn't go unchallenged," said Armando Navarro, coordinator of the National Alliance for Human Rights, which had organized caravans to Tijuana for Mexicans to vote.
Many expatriates were concerned about how Calderon would approach the issue of immigration reform in the United States.
Outgoing President Vicente Fox had pressured American lawmakers in recent months for reforms that would give millions of Mexicans living in U.S. illegally a chance at legal residency. But he was sharply criticized, both here and in Mexico, for not doing more.
"Calderon would continue what we've seen under Fox a very passive relation with the U.S., and with very little advocacy," said Frank Martin del Campo, a Mexican who is president of the San Francisco chapter of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement.
Lopez Obrador would have "tried to be stronger and not be the pushover that they are now," said Teodoro Maus, a former Mexican consul general in Atlanta who voted for a minority candidate.
Yanett Navarro, a 33-year-old attendant at a Los Angeles travel agency, disagreed. She said Lopez Obrador's leftist politics would have alienated Washington and made immigration reform impossible.
"Lopez Obrador is too isolated politically," said Navarro. "Calderon is in a better position to provide stability and support to immigrants."
Through a brutal campaign, Calderon painted Lopez Obrador as a radical leftist similar to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Lopez Obrador said Calderon was a puppet of the rich who would continue the policies of Fox.
Many of Lopez Obrador's supporters were poor Mexicans who immigrated illegally to the United States looking for a better life.
"He was the hope of the poor," said Adriana Lopez, an illegal immigrant in Costa Mesa, south of Los Angeles. "I just hope Calderon does something for the poor."
_ Associated Press writers Juliana Barbassa in San Francisco and Laura Wides-Munoz in Miami contributed to this report.
So, they could have voted.
Good question.
Notice the divide in this article... any Mexican-American with a real job (i.e. not working for a labor union or La Raza) is supporting Calderon.
What the F do these ex-pats care who the hell wins!
It's like being an American and giving a crap about the Soccer Wolrld series!~}
Maybe because they are U.S. citizens and their Country is yours? Just a thought.
Yep, & ain't it nice that these *American citizens have the *right to vote in both countries. ??...../sarc
(just *one of the *rights these dual citizens are privy too.)
Because it's in the tank.
I see, they should allow their native country, and all their relations that remain there, to slide farther into the leftist cesspool as a matter of principle.
I think the greatest advantage of being a dual citizen is having the opportunity to own property in both countries. The greatest disadvantage is that you can't call the other country's embassy/consulate if you get arrested.
Native country ??? Seems I've read the US born children of these dual citizens, can also apply for mexican citizenship.
Then, they too receive the dual voting *rights, property *rights, etc. etc.
Maybe. I don't know much about Mexico's dual-citizenship rules, but a good number of other countries allow for the child born of two citizens, even if all are overseas, to be a citizen. I know the U.S. does.
Wrong most of the activists are not US citizens. they are mostly the wetbacks who have been riding the welfare system in this country and don't want to go home, and why should they as long as the libs keep pushing for amnesty. the BASTARDS are ruining the US.
Maybe. I don't know >>>>>>>
REQUIREMENTS
Be at least 18 years of age and of sound mind.
Complete the application at the Mexican Consulate.
Present the following documents in original and two photocopies:
If the person was born in United States:
A Certified copy of the Birth Certificate, apostilled by the Secretary of State of the issuing authority.
Original or certified copies of the Mexican father or mother's birth certificate.
If the person was born in Mexico
Original or certified copy of the birth certificate.
Married women need to present the marriage certificate.
Document that proves the U.S. citizenship (i.e. passport or Certificate of Naturalization).
Official picture ID (i.e. Driver's license, passport, California ID, etc.)
Two-passport size photos.
This is a toll free process; the Mexican Consulate is the only autorizated institution to complete it. Upon receiving the Declaration of Mexican Nationality, a $14.00 fee will be assessed.
http://www.aztlan.net/dualcit.htm
Gee, I think that we know about that situation here in the US. SoreLoserman has been giving us headaches for the past 5 1/2 years.
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