IL Postcard

There is Now a New, "Official" President-Elect in Mexico

Date: 09/05/2006

We have a winner. Yesterday, Mexico's top electoral court voted unanimously to reject allegations of election fraud, and to certify Felipe Calderón's narrow victory over leftist rival Andrés Manuel López Obrador of the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD).

On July 2, Mr. Calderón of the National Action Party (PAN), narrowly won victory in the country's presidential election. He then withstood a lengthy challenge from López Obrador - a challenge many believe will continue for yet some time.

As you know, López Obrador refused to accept the vote tally in July that showed Calderón had won the presidency by a small margin. His supporters have blocked major roads and been encamped in the capital's central square for a month now, demanding a full recount.

Last month, the tribunal ordered the ballots recounted in about 9% of the 130,000 precincts nationwide in response to López Obrador's allegations that there were errors on half of the precinct tally sheets and evidence of fraud in some cases. The court ended up annulling more than 150,000 votes in hundreds of polling places.

Still, the overall results did not change much, and in its final ruling yesterday, the tribunal concluded that Felipe Calderón won the election by just 233,831 votes out of the 41.5 million cast, a margin very close to the official tally done in early July. The tribunal's decision cannot be appealed.

Still, López Obrador and many of his supporters remain defiant, saying they will use whatever tactics necessary to keep Mr. Calderón from taking office. Last week, 150 legislators from the PRD caused a scene at President Vicente Fox's State of the Union address, and actually kept him from delivering that speech. The lawmakers said they were protesting voter fraud and the theft of an election.

Calderon, who will take office on December 1, must now win over the millions of Mexicans who remain angry at the outcome of the election and angry that President Vicente Fox (from Calderon's party) didn't make good on promises of change in government. He can also expect to battle rival factions in Congress. Felipe Calderón has an uphill climb, and it will be an interesting one to watch.

We'll bring you more details about the politics of Mexico in the coming days. Take note, though, that outside the capital, it really is life as normal here in Mexico. I have not seen any evidence of bitterness or dissatisfaction with the political process here in San Miguel de Allende, nor have I heard of any major problems in other areas of the country. I will keep you posted if that changes.

Best Regards,

Marzena Romanowicz
International Living, Mexico

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