Monday 02 July 2012
Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) candidate Enrique Pena
Nieto cruised into power today, claiming that his government that will
be modern, responsible and open to criticism.
Though his party’s victory was clear in the preliminary count from
yesterday's election, the party was anticipating a much bigger margin.
Instead of the 50 per cent plus result predicted in advance of the
count, he had to settle for 38 per cent support, about 7 points more
than his nearest rival.
But his main challenger on roughly 31 per cent of the vote, centre-left
candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, refused to concede, saying that
he would await a full count and legal review.
In 2006 Mr Lopez Obrador paralysed Mexico City streets with hundreds of
thousands of supporters when he narrowly lost to President Felipe
Calderon.
This time, only about 700 gathered at his campaign rally and he
cancelled plans to proceed to the Zocalo, the main square he filled as
recently as Wednesday.
“We have information that indicates something different from what
they’re saying officially,” he said. “We’re not going to act in an
irresponsible manner.”
The PRI previously ruled for 71 years marred by accusations of coercion
and corruption. It was often accused of rigging elections, most
infamously the 1988 presidential vote.
But PRI governments were also known for keeping a lid on organised
crime, whose battles with government and each other under former
president Calderon cost more than 50,000 lives.
However, suspicions remain that “keeping a lid on” was a euphemism for
collaborating with the cartels in keeping their activities discreet.
Yesterday's vote went relatively smoothly, with the usual protests at
polling stations that ran out of ballots and a few arrests for small
cases of alleged bribery or ballot tampering.
Josefina Vazquez Mota of the ruling National Party conceded almost
immediately after the polls closed and exit surveys showed her trailing
in third place.
The complete official results will be announced next weekend.
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Source: Morning Star Online
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