Posted on 07/06/2006 4:22:01 PM PDT by PittsburghAfterDark
Calderon wins Mexican presidential race
By WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press Writer 16 minutes ago
MEXICO CITY - The ruling party's Felipe Calderon won the official count in Mexico's disputed presidential race Thursday, a come-from-behind victory for the stiff technocrat. But his leftist rival refused to concede and said he'd fight the results in court.
Calderon, a conservative who preached free-market values and financial stability during the campaign, was already reaching out to other parties to build a "unity government". His opponent, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, blamed fraud for his narrow loss in the vote count and called on his supporters to fill Mexico City's main square Saturday in a show of force.
With the 41 million votes counted, Calderon of President Vicente Fox's National Action Party had 35.88 percent, or 14,981,268 votes, to 14,745,262, or 35.31 percent, for Lopez Obrador of the Democratic Revolution Party. The two were separated by 0.57 percent, or 236,006 votes.
Roberto Madrazo, whose Institutional Revolutionary Party controlled Mexico for 71 years until Fox's victory in 2000, had 22.27 percent, and two minor candidates split the rest.
Now that the count is complete, any challenges will go before the country's top electoral court. A winner must be declared by Sept. 6. The next president begins a single, six-year term on Dec. 1.
Mexican stocks closed 2.7 percent higher and the peso rebounded Thursday on the news of Calderon's lead. The markets closed before the count was finished.
But many obstacles remain in Calderon's path. If his victory is upheld by electoral courts, he will face a Congress dominated by opposition parties, as well as a divided nation that sends millions north to work in the United States illegally.
President Bush's decision to send National Guard troops to the border has increased tensions in Mexico, as has a U.S. congressional proposal to extend walls along the two countries' frontier.
Calderon wants to rely on Mexico's many free-trade accords to create jobs and crack down on rising crime, and says he'll try to smooth U.S. relations without letting Washington dominate.
"I want to establish a very constructive relationship without bowing my head and lowering my eyes to the Americans," Calderon said in heavily accented English during an interview with The Associated Press.
"I have met with President Bush several times. I have interviewed with President Bush and several members of the American Congress, and I know it's possible to establish a more constructive relationship, and that would be very good for both countries."
Addressing hundreds of cheering supporters before dawn Thursday, he called on Mexicans to move beyond the bitter campaign and "begin a new era of peace, of reconciliation."
He reached out to the millions of people who voted against him, asking for a "chance to win your confidence."
For months, Lopez Obrador had been the easy front-runner in the race, promising to govern for the poor and launch big public works projects. But he slipped in the polls after he refused to take part in the first of two televised debates, and never quite recovered.
"It was Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's election to lose, and he lost," said Andrew Selee, director of the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington.
On Thursday, the former Mexico City mayor said that widespread fraud — not campaign missteps — cost him the election, and he called on his supporters to gather Saturday for an "informational assembly."
"We are always going to act in a responsible manner, but at the same time, we have to defend the citizens' will," he said.
He denounced election officials for going forward with an official count of poll-workers' vote tallies, as required by election law, and ignoring his demand for a ballot-by-ballot review.
"We are going to the Federal Electoral Tribunal with the same demand — that the votes be counted — because we cannot accept these results," Lopez Obrador said.
Lopez Obrador supporters who followed the folksy leftist with near religious zeal wept in the streets at news of his loss. A busload of children from a private school jeered at three women bawling uncontrollably as they held up banners.
As Lopez Obrador emerged from his apartment, one woman rushed forward and startled him with a desperate embrace. Taken aback for an instant, the candidate reassured her and kissed her gently on the top of the head. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
You know this guy learns the political ropes from the American left.
How many moveon.org or Daily Kos alumni are working for this guy? Every single point of his is straight out of the Democratic playbook.
Talking points, I want to know who's giving him talking points.
New video game for the blogosphere to play, "Where in the World Are James Carville and Bob Shrum?"
This has their finger prints all over it.
He's a commie. The playbook was written a long time ago.
I am sure Bois and Tribe on jetting it down to Mexico city as we speak.
Typical loser lib - he's been listening to AlGore and the nutty DUmmies/KOmmies.
He's already being called Obragore. (or Gorebrador)
Had the order of vote counting been different, this could say "leading all the way.."
Helen Thomas?
"This guy was angry because they followed the law instead of slanting things his way?? "
Fortunately, he can't appeal to the Supreme Courts of Florida or New Jersey.
Don't expect the media or Obrador to acknowledge this, though, or to acknowledge that a 235,000 vote margin is not that close. They'll follow the same template they've used here - keep recounting the votes until they get a total that shows the leftist even one vote ahead, then immediately stop and declare him the winner.
This shows why the voter I.D. requirement is NOT a problem. Except that maybe it makes them work harder to reverse the results, but don't worry they'll give a try anyhow.
breaking news dan rather has just called Ohio for Bush
The final tally has Calderon leading by 243,934 votes - 0.58%. After the preliminary vote, Calderon was expected to win by .6% after all the votes were counted. Not much difference at all. 41.79 million votes were cast.
Felipe Calderon's victory is good news, and the commie Obrador is a card carrying member of the Hugo-Castro Axis and is a pig who like the Democrats is going to say Calderon "stole the election". But, as some are saying, perhaps the tide is starting to turn away from the Hugo-Castro-Cindy-Kennedy commie wing which was for a time looking like the "wave of the future" in the Spanish speaking world. Congrats Felipe!
But many obstacles remain in Calderon's path. If his victory is upheld by electoral courts, he will face a Congress dominated by opposition parties, as well as a divided nation that sends millions north to work in the United States illegally.
So if the socialist steals the election, the opposition parties won't matter and the illegals will stay home? Good thing the AP is here to clear that up!
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