AMLO's Demonstration begins in Mexico City's Zócalo Capital Plaza (Translation)

eluniversal.com.mx ^ | July 8, 2006 | Lilia Saúl ( translated by self )

[StJacques]

The meeting begins with the circulation of recordings of two telephone conversations that speak to the support PRI Party Governors in the northern states are giving to Felipe Calderón.

The Informative Assembly which Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, candidate of the For the Good of All coalition, summoned began this Saturday around 5:30 p.m. in the Zócalo capital plaza in Mexico City.

The Informative Assembly Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador called began with the circulation of two recordings in which Elba Esther Gordillo, leader of the teacher's union and Pedro Cerisola, Secretary of Communications and Transport, were heard speaking with the Governor of Tamaulipas, Eugenio Hernández Pérez.

The telephone conversations spoke of the of the support of the PRI Party Governors in the northern states for Felipe Calderón, "thus betraying" their own party, the PRI.

The recordings were presented by Jesús Ortega, López Obrador's campaign coordinator, who said that these reports give an account of the federal government's negotiations with some sectors of the PRI Party to prevent Lopez Obrador from winning the presidential election.

Martí Batres, President of the PRD in the Federal District, said that more than 500,000 people are concentrated in the Zócalo capital plaza.

Moreover, author Fernando del Paso, said during his speech that the word "violence" has returned again to Mexican elections.

Thousands of supporters are in the Plaza of the Constitution, as well as in the offices of the government of the Federal District, waiting to hear the Tabasqueño's¹ speech.

The Tabasqueño's supporters demand has been for a recount vote by vote to give transparency to the electoral process, ever since the IFE² announced that the count of the electoral districts made PAN candidate Felipe Calderón Hinojosa the virtual winner.

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Translator's Notes:

¹Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, who is from the Mexican state of Tabasco.

²Acronym of the Federal Electoral Institute, which certified the vote count earlier this week.

[StJacques]

Well it seems to be starting out with a disappointment for the crowd in hearing that the PRI are recognizing Calderón's election, which means that Lopez Obrador and his people are going to have to stand by themselves. And I am particularly troubled by the statement of Fernando del Paso that "violence" has returned again to Mexican elections. I very much fear that the PRD and Lopez Obrador may just take Mexico down that road, but this one sentence is all that I have right now. I wish I had more, so just consider this an update.

[StJacques]

A Mexican post-election ping for you all.

So far, not very much other than what I have posted.

And, again, for any of you who may not have shown up yesterday or who perhaps have missed it, I have gone back to all of the translated article threads I have posted since the Mexican election and inserted a unique keyword to permit you to retrieve them as a group using the forum's "keyword" search option.

The keyword is -- STJTRANSLATION

[tet68]

Bump.

[sageb1]

"I very much fear that the PRD and Lopez Obrador may just take Mexico down that road,"

There is certainly a good chance of that considering that there are those of his supporters who have stated that they would die for him. Thank you for the translation.

[A CA Guy]

Any mobs in Mexico set out to lynch drug lords yet to take back their country?

[La Enchiladita]

Univision covering live now in Mexico City. Looks peaceful.

The crowd fills the Zocalo, but they are not packed in.

However, night has not fallen yet.

[RightWingNilla]

Who's side is the army on?

[mjolnir]

Scary situation.

On Fox News, some ObraGore supporters were interviewed-- they made it sound they they were doing the nation some sort of incalculably great favor by not rioting.

The year 1968 was a breakthrough for radical sudent leftism not just in the USA, but across the world. I wonder if we're seeing the rise of another meme-- the idea idea that the leftist "people's candidate" cannot legitimately lose-- that will spread across the world.

[StJacques]

The army will side with the government. Remember that the Zapatistas embarrassed the army a few years back. Those same thugs are now openly backing Obrador. Besides, the Mexican Army does take its orders from the civilian authority, and that means Fox.

[Sender]

I can see why many Mexicans try so hard to come up north. The poverty in the slums around the City and rural areas is bad. No one should have to live like that.

People living in shacks with no water can be easily whipped up into angry mobs, if they see the elite as the cause of their misery...which in many ways, they are.

There is no excuse for the condition Mexico is in. Obrador only has to promise change and they will rise up.

[Mike Darancette]

If the people marching the streets can make Obrador president then Mexico is not a Democracy.

[StJacques]

"If the people marching the streets can make Obrador president then Mexico is not a Democracy."

Agreed

[livius]

I wonder if we're seeing the rise of another meme-- the idea idea that the leftist "people's candidate" cannot legitimately lose-- that will spread across the world.

Well, that's certainly the idea they're trying to communicate. That, and the idea that an election is never final. You can just keep on objecting to it, redoing it, and reviewing it until you get the result you want.

I think this is a particularly dangerous idea, and we have the Democrat Party to thank for it. The US was always a model of orderly transition and other countries wanted to be like us. Then Al Gore came along; first we saw the results of this on a national scale, where any election the left didn't win could be contested and sometimes even reversed, and now we are seeing it on an international scale. Other countries always follow our lead, for good or for ill.

[livius]

Are the Zapatistas in town for the "fun" yet?

[burzum]

Let's see if I got this right:
1) AMLO loses by less than 1% on the preliminary count.
2) During the recount AMLO supporters use delaying tactics to slow the recount in Calderón districts.
3) Citing that Calderón pulled ahead in the end, even though it is completely consistent statistically with the method of counting and the preliminary count, AMLO declares that the election was stolen.
4) AMLO rejects taking the case to court and instead wants to hold national protests.
5) Next?

What do commies always do next? Violent revolution. I hope Fox is ready.

[mjolnir]

Well put!

Gore's appeal (even to the left) is hard for me to comprehend. I imagine he's noticed what's going on in Mexico City and smiling at it.

[StJacques]

"4) AMLO rejects taking the case to court and instead wants to hold national protests."

Change this one only.

4) AMLO decides to take his case to the Federal Electoral Tribunal and holds national protests with the implication that things may eventually get out of hand to intimidate them into giving him his way.

And I am convinced Fox is ready. I discussed this with livius last night -- at least I think it was with livius.