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Mexico leftist's lead narrows in recount
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A leftist anti-poverty campaigner took a slim lead over his conservative rival in a dramatic recount of Mexico's presidential election vote on Wednesday and warned the country's stability was at stake. Partial returns showed Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador overtaking Felipe Calderon, who ended a just ahead in an initial count.Lopez Obrador, the former mayor of Mexico City, led pro-U.S. lawyer Calderon by 2 percentage points in the recount of 80 percent of polling stations but it was still too early to declare a victor from Sunday's vote. Lopez Obrador warned electoral authorities to be thorough in the recount, expected to last about a day. "The stability of the country is at stake," he said. The Harvard-educated Calderon would be an ally of the United States in Latin America, where left-wing leaders critical of Washington have taken power in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay and Venezuela in recent years.
Luis Carlos Ugalde, the head of the Federal Electoral Institute, or IFE, refereeing the contest, warned the recount result would be a cliffhanger. "The margin of difference is undoubtedly going to be very tight at the end," he said. "Lopez Obrador may be ahead but that could increase or decrease," he said. The initial preliminary results earlier this week gave Calderon, a former energy minister, a lead of 0.6 points but Lopez Obrador's Party of the Democratic Revolution complained of irregularities and possibly fraud. In the recount, Lopez Obrador's lead began to slip as late results came in from Calderon strongholds in the north and center of Mexico. The stock index plunged 4 percent and the peso fell against the dollar because of the political tension. Official results of the recount showed Lopez Obrador had 36.67 percent of the vote with figures in from 80 percent of polling stations. Calderon, from the ruling National Action Party, was second with 34.67 percent. Mexico's electoral court has to rule on vote disputes by August 31 and declare a winner by September 6. Posted by: Steve White 2006-07-06 |
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