Friday, August 11, 2006
Mexican leftist asks world to back full vote recount
Friday, August 11, 2006 Posted: 1824 GMT (0224 HKT)
LINk: http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/08/11/mexico.elections.ap/
Presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador addresses a rally earlier this week in Mexico City.
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AP) -- Mexico's main leftist candidate took his fight for the presidency to the world Friday, urging other countries in a New York Times editorial to support his bid for a full recount in the disputed July 2 race.
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador also justified his supporters' daily demonstrations that have choked traffic and commerce in the capital for nearly two weeks, saying he can't afford mass advertising.
"We can only communicate our demand to count all the votes by peaceful protest," he said.
On Friday, dozens of protesters tried to block the entrance to the Treasury Department for a second straight day.
Lopez Obrador's editorial came on the third day of a partial recount of 9 percent of the 130,000 polling places. Ruling party candidate Felipe Calderon has an advantage of less than 0.6 percent, or about 240,000 votes.
Lopez Obrador claims fraud and a dirty campaign are responsible for his rival's lead and insists a full recount is the only way to determine who is president-elect.
After campaigning in favor of staying out of the disputes of other nations, Lopez Obrador on Friday asked countries around the world to support his cause.
"We need the goodwill and support of those in the international community with a personal, philosophical or commercial interest in Mexico to encourage it to do the right thing and allow a full recount that will show, once and for all, that democracy is alive and well in this republic," he wrote.
Authorities have until Sunday to finish the partial recount. The seven-judge Federal Electoral Tribunal will review the results and then decide whether to declare a winner, annul the election or take other action.
On Thursday, Cesar Nava, secretary-general of the ruling National Action Party, said officials were about 40 percent done and had found no major problems. He said he expected the partial recount to finish late Friday or early Saturday.
Lopez Obrador plans to travel Saturday to Chiapas, where his Democratic Revolution Party is battling for the governor's post.
Democratic Revolution officials have accused President Vicente Fox's government of boosting its anti-poverty program to influence the presidential race nationwide, including in Chiapas, Mexico's poorest state.
In the run-up to Chiapas' August 20 gubernatorial vote, however, Fox's National Action Party complained that representatives of Lopez Obrador's party misused the same program to influence that election.
The program's national director, Rogelio Gomez-Hermosillo, told a news conference Friday that the initiative was not misused in either race.
LINk: http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/08/11/mexico.elections.ap/
Presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador addresses a rally earlier this week in Mexico City.
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AP) -- Mexico's main leftist candidate took his fight for the presidency to the world Friday, urging other countries in a New York Times editorial to support his bid for a full recount in the disputed July 2 race.
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador also justified his supporters' daily demonstrations that have choked traffic and commerce in the capital for nearly two weeks, saying he can't afford mass advertising.
"We can only communicate our demand to count all the votes by peaceful protest," he said.
On Friday, dozens of protesters tried to block the entrance to the Treasury Department for a second straight day.
Lopez Obrador's editorial came on the third day of a partial recount of 9 percent of the 130,000 polling places. Ruling party candidate Felipe Calderon has an advantage of less than 0.6 percent, or about 240,000 votes.
Lopez Obrador claims fraud and a dirty campaign are responsible for his rival's lead and insists a full recount is the only way to determine who is president-elect.
After campaigning in favor of staying out of the disputes of other nations, Lopez Obrador on Friday asked countries around the world to support his cause.
"We need the goodwill and support of those in the international community with a personal, philosophical or commercial interest in Mexico to encourage it to do the right thing and allow a full recount that will show, once and for all, that democracy is alive and well in this republic," he wrote.
Authorities have until Sunday to finish the partial recount. The seven-judge Federal Electoral Tribunal will review the results and then decide whether to declare a winner, annul the election or take other action.
On Thursday, Cesar Nava, secretary-general of the ruling National Action Party, said officials were about 40 percent done and had found no major problems. He said he expected the partial recount to finish late Friday or early Saturday.
Lopez Obrador plans to travel Saturday to Chiapas, where his Democratic Revolution Party is battling for the governor's post.
Democratic Revolution officials have accused President Vicente Fox's government of boosting its anti-poverty program to influence the presidential race nationwide, including in Chiapas, Mexico's poorest state.
In the run-up to Chiapas' August 20 gubernatorial vote, however, Fox's National Action Party complained that representatives of Lopez Obrador's party misused the same program to influence that election.
The program's national director, Rogelio Gomez-Hermosillo, told a news conference Friday that the initiative was not misused in either race.
# posted by Nancy T. @ 11:41 PM 
