Blogger News Network

July 6, 2006

Presidential candidate Felipe Calder�n was declared the winner of a narrow victory on Thursday in the Mexican general election. The leading rival candidate, Andr�s Manuel L�pez Obrador, did not concede and said that he would mobilize public rallies and seek to contest the results in court.

Both leading Mexican presidential candidates earlier proclaimed victory in the Mexican presidential race despite notice from Mexico's Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) that the numbers were currently too close to determine the winner.

By Thursday morning, with 98% of the vote tallies recounted, Calder�n held a lead of less than one percent over L�pez Obrador.

L�pez Obrador has called for a full vote-by-vote recount after the president of the IFE, Luis Carlos Ugalde, said on national television that the preliminary count could not be used to call the race, and that more than three million votes had not been counted yet. Ugalde has said that those votes were valid, as they were not illegible or reached late.

Questions were raised about the vote count after discrepancies were noticed in the counting. While some of L�pez Obrador's supporters have alleged manipulation of the counting process, L�pez Obrador himself has discounted the possibility of outright fraud and international election observers have said that the election was transparent and largely free of problems.

The interior minister, Carlos Abascal, has said that a total recount is "physically impossible and also legally impossible." However, reports from every voting booth filled by representatives of all parties have already been distributed to the contenders.

In accordance with Mexican electoral law, workers counted the tallies attached to ballot boxes at polling stations, but were not opening properly sealed and tallied ballot boxes.

Now that the final count is complete, Mexico's Federal Electoral Tribunal of seven judges can hear complaints and consider overturning the election. It must declare a winner by September 6, 2006.

Sources

• James C. McKinley Jr. and Ginger Thompson (New York Times) "Vote recount demanded in Mexican election". International Herald Tribune, July 5, 2006
• Kieran Murray and Alistair Bell "Mexico in election cliffhanger, rivals claim win". Reuters, Jul 3, 2006
• "Aplaza IFE hasta el mi�rcoles definici�n de elecci�n presidencial". El Universal, July 2, 2006
• "No es posible determinar ganador". Reforma, July 2, 2006

• "Conservative takes thin lead in Mexico race". MSNBC, July 5, 2006

• "Mexican conservative wins tight election battle". Reuters, July 6, 2006