MEXICO: Electoral court declares Felipe Calderon as winner of presidential elections

Record ID: 303538

  • Title: MEXICO: Electoral court declares Felipe Calderon as winner of presidential elections
  • Date: 6th September 2006
  • Summary: (LATIN) MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (SEPTEMBER 5, 2006) (REUTERS) REPRESENTATIVES CELEBRATING IN COURT FOLLOWER OF LOPEZ OBRADOR CRYING VARIOUS OF FOLLOWERS OF LOPEZ OBRADOR PROTESTING AT THE DOORS OF THE COURT FOLLOWERS OF LOPEZ OBRADOR YELLING FRAUD (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ARACELI ORTIZ, FOLLOWER OF LOPEZ OBRADOR, SAYING: "I'm sad because this is a case of predictable fraud and we already knew where it was going. There is a lot of money in the middle of this and we are not going to stand for it. This is not the same Mexico as a few years ago- we are different." COFFIN REPRESENTING DEMOCRACY BEING PARADING FOLLOWERS OF LOPEZ OBRADOR PROTESTING PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JOSE IGNACIO SALAFRANCA, DIRECTOR EU ELECTION OBSERVERS, SAYING: "The official results announced by the electoral court constitute and reflect the legitimate will of the Mexican people. Therefore, we agree with the idea that they have been democratic, authentic, and free elections." NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 21st September 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Mexico
  • Country: Mexico
  • Topics: Legal System,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA31M1HKYQW39O4MCXL3UUZVDSZ
  • Story Text: Felipe Calderon of Mexico's ruling party was declared president-elect Tuesday (September 5, 2006) after two months of uncertainty, but his ability to rule remained in doubt with Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador vowing to lead a parallel leftist government from the streets.
    The unanimous decision by the Federal Electoral Tribunal rejected allegations of systematic fraud and awarded Calderon the presidency by 233,831 votes out of 41.6 million cast in the July 2 elections - a margin of 0.56 percent.
    The head of the electoral court judge Leonel Castillo made the formal announcement after the court ruling in Mexico City.
    "The candidate that received the most votes for the election for president of Mexico was Felipe de Jesus Calderon Hinojosa. The election of the president of Mexico is valid," Castillo said, "As a consequence, give the ruling its corresponding validity."
    The ruling cannot be appealed.
    Calderon now must win over millions of Mexicans angry that President Vicente Fox didn't make good on promises of sweeping change - and fend off thousands of radicalized leftists who say they will stop at nothing to undermine his presidency.
    President Fox, who was in Cancun when the ruling was made, sent his best wishes to the president-elect.
    "I send my congratulations to Calderon Hinojosa, wishing him the best with his term as leader of the great effort of all Mexican citizens. I also congratulate the other candidates for their participation in the electoral process and I invite them to participate in the dialogue that allows us to continue forming a great nation."
    Lopez Obrador has said he won't recognize the new government and vows to block Calderon from taking power Dec. 1. Protesters outside the tribunal wept as the decision was announced and set off firecrackers that shook the building.
    Lopez Obrador supporter Araceli Ortiz expressed his disappointment.
    "I'm sad because this is a case of predictable fraud and we already knew where it was going. There is a lot of money in the middle of this and we are not going to stand for it. This is not the same Mexico as a few years ago- we are different," Araceli said
    The decision by the seven judges - who have split their votes in disputes about other elections - also found that Fox endangered the election by making statements that favored Calderon, and that business leaders broke the law by paying for ads against Lopez Obrador, who promised to govern on behalf of the poor.
    But the problems weren't serious enough to annul the results, they said.
    "There are no perfect elections," Judge Alfonsina Berta Navarro Hidalgo said.
    The court rejected most of Lopez Obrador's allegations, including his claim that an ad campaign comparing him to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez unfairly swayed voters. The court also dismissed Lopez Obrador's claim of subliminal messages in television ads by pro-Calderon businesses.
    A smiling Calderon emerged from party offices to wave at supporters. He was scheduled to address the nation later Tuesday and meet with Fox Wednesday.
    Fox greeted the court's decision with a smile during an appearance in Cancun, then publicly congratulated Calderon and invited Lopez Obrador to begin talks aimed at "strengthening the nation and our democracy."
    Markets, which had expected Tuesday's ruling, were unchanged.
    Tuesday's ruling came two months, three days, and tens of thousands of pages of legal challenges after voters cast their ballots. In comparison, the U.S. presidential elections of 2000 remained in dispute for only 35 days.
    The decision was unlikely to end the demonstrations that have crippled Mexico City's center or to heal the nation's growing political divide.
    In the Zocalo plaza, thousands in a month-old protest camp chanted: "If there is no solution, there will be revolution!"
    Lopez Obrador, who also was scheduled to address supporters later Tuesday, has called on his followers to remain peaceful. His movement has become increasingly radicalized since the election, and polls indicate he lost support after lawmakers from his party blocked Fox's last state-of-the-nation address Friday.
    No violence was reported, but police surrounded Calderon's party headquarters, where businesswoman Susanna Rivera was among a few drivers honking in support of the conservative former energy secretary.
    Despite the accusations within the country, the director EU election observers Jose Ignacio Salafrance said approved the elections as valid.
    "The official results announced by the electoral court constitute and reflect the legitimate will of the Mexican people. Therefore, we agree with the idea that they have been democratic, authentic, and free elections," Salafranca said.
    Neither candidate attended the court session. Lopez Obrador ate breakfast with lawmakers, then went to his protest tent in the Zocalo, where he has been sleeping for nearly two months.
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