Mexico’s left to reject ruling naming conservative Calderon president-elect

The country’s electoral court is expected to give its final count and declare valid the disputed July 2 presidential election on Tuesday.

Photo: Mexico’s left to reject ruling naming conservative Calderon president-elect

As Mexico prepares to learn about the final decision of the country’s electoral court on the disputed July 2 presidential elections, leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says that his Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) won’t accept an eventual ruling declaring his conservative rival Felipe Calderon president-elect and moves forward with plans to establish a parallel government.

The Federal Electoral Tribunal is expected to rule on Tuesday after more than two months of controversies that triggered a potentially explosive political atmosphere with millions challenging provisional results that gave Felipe Calderon a narrow lead. The PRD has challenged most court rulings that have favored Calderon, who has a 240,000-vote advantage over Lopez Obrador, and is leading a civil disobedience campaign that harasses the administration of the incumbent president Vicente Fox.

During an early morning session Tuesday, the court’s seven magistrates will give their final count in the election and decide whether it was valid. While they have the power to annul the election, there are no signs they plan to do so, according to observers. The court's decision is final and cannot be appealed.

Lopez Obrador’s supporters believe that the election was rigged. They claim fraud, illicit government spending and dirty tricks swayed the election in favor of Calderon. They have seized the country’s capital with tents and protests at the main public buildings and promise to keep the fight until Lopez Obrador is declared the winner. Analysts believe that a rule in favor of Calderon will fuel the fire.

If Calderon is finally proclaimed president-elect, PRD supporters said they wouldn’t allow him to swear in. President Fox spokesman Ruben Aguilar said Monday that "there was no way" protesters could prohibit the presidential handover from taking place. He said the federal government had ways to ensure the president-elect takes office, but refused to elaborate.

"There are many ways, many," he said. "We will reserve them until the appropriate time, but there are ways to ensure that the letter of our laws and our constitution are followed and there will be a handover of power to the president-elect without a doubt."

Tensions spilled from the streets to the halls of Congress on Friday, when lawmakers from Lopez Obrador's Democratic Revolution Party seized the podium of the legislature and blocked Fox from delivering his final state-of-the-nation address. Fox had to address the country’s lawmakers on TV from his offices at the palace of government.

Hernan Etchaleco
Pravda.Ru