http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/ As President Vicente Fox makes his exit, five candidates vie to take his place. en Copyright 2006 Wed, 13 Sep 2006 18:31:53 -0500 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss We will no longer be updating the Mexico Votes blog. For Mexico news, bookmark Mexico City bureau chief Manuel Roig-Franzia or check the latest wires. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/09/the_end.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/09/the_end.html Wed, 13 Sep 2006 18:31:53 -0500 Mexico's special electoral court unanimously declared Felipe Calderón president-elect of Mexico in a decision that resolved the legal battle but did not end the political crisis. Presidential runner-up Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he would create an "alternate government," calling Calderón an "illegitimate president." Speaking moments later, Calderón called for conciliation, saying, "Mexicans can think differently, but we are not enemies." He declared that "the electoral process is over and the hour has arrived for unity." The dueling speeches were tracked minutely by Mexicans both puzzled and fascinated by the prospect of two men simultaneously claiming to lead the nation. Read the full story from The Post's Manuel Roig-Franzia. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/09/from_the_post_1.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/09/from_the_post_1.html From The Post Wed, 06 Sep 2006 09:22:29 -0500 It's official. Sixty-five days after the voting took place, Mexico has a new president. After four hours of speechifying, the seven-member federal election tribunal unanimously certified conservative Felipe Calderón as the winner of the July 2 contest. For Mexico, the ruling ends a long, tense period of political uncertainty and puts in office a man who has promised to continue the pro-business policies of fellow National Action Party President Vicente Fox. After enduring two months of legal challenges and street protests in virtual silence, the 44-year-old Calderón emerged minutes after the decision and proclaimed: "I feel very good!" He immediately announced plans for two speeches tonight. Robbed of the chance for a traditional election night party, Calderón has indicated that he hopes to hold a belated, victory celebration Sept. 10. In the streets of Mexico City, supporters of leftist Andrés Manuel López Obrador waved their fists in the air, http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/09/calderon_me_siento_muy_bien.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/09/calderon_me_siento_muy_bien.html Campaign Conexión Tue, 05 Sep 2006 16:31:54 -0500 It was supposed to be his grand farewell, a moment to bask in high popularity ratings and a strengthened economy. But outgoing President Vicente Fox faces a bitter -- potentially violent -- showdown tonight, uncertain whether he will be able to actually deliver his final state of the nation speech or even make it to the podium inside the Chamber of Deputies. Instead of preparing one last victory lap for the man who ousted the once-dominant PRI, the plan is to erect a veritable shield of armor around Fox. All day Friday, Mexicans strategized about street and subway closings as political commentators speculated on what will happen at 7 p.m. (central time), when Fox is scheduled to stand before Congress to give the speech, known as the Informe. "As Mr. Fox prepares to deliver his final State of the Union address Friday, that work includes resolving a political crisis http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/09/foxs_farewell_address_bring_in.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/09/foxs_farewell_address_bring_in.html Campaign Conexión Fri, 01 Sep 2006 16:51:28 -0500 In the "picture worth 1,000 words" category, El Universal cartoonist Carreno has brilliantly captured the bind President Vicente Fox finds himself ahead of tonight's state of the nation address. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/09/antojitos_foxs_chopping_block.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/09/antojitos_foxs_chopping_block.html Antojitos Fri, 01 Sep 2006 15:57:35 -0500 It's almost over -- and the news looks very good for Felipe Calderón, who in all likelihood will soon be addressed as Señor Presidente. Mexico's contested presidential election moved a giant step closer to finality late Monday, when a special election court rejected a litany of complaints by runner-up Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The tribunal stopped short of certifying Calderón as the winner in the July 2 election. But most analysts say that is likely to occur soon -- perhaps today, perhaps later this week. With his charges of massive election fraud, López Obrador had sparked a political crisis in the fledgling democracy. Loyal supporters took to the streets, joining the charismatic former mayor is his demand for a full recount. The tribunal however ordered a recount of just 9 percent of the 42 million votes cast and finally yesterday, released the tally. In the end, it hardly mattered. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/08/and_the_winner_is.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/08/and_the_winner_is.html Campaign Conexión Tue, 29 Aug 2006 12:03:12 -0500 Mexico's electoral tribunal rejected nearly all of the fraud claims by presidential runner-up Andrés Manuel López Obrador, saying that a partial recount will not change the outcome of the July 2 presidential election. The court did not officially declare a winner, but few expect the final outcome to change. López Obrador had leveled a host of allegations, including claims that tally sheets were changed, voters were paid off and computers were rigged by Mexico's electoral institute, which oversaw the balloting. But the tribunal was unimpressed by the evidence López Obrador submitted. The electoral court has until Sept. 6 to declare a winner, and it must still respond to López Obrador's demand that the election be annulled. Read the full story from The Post's Manuel Roig-Franzia. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/08/from_the_post_court_rejects_fr.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/08/from_the_post_court_rejects_fr.html From The Post Tue, 29 Aug 2006 08:47:29 -0500 The continuing fight over Mexico's presidential election has crossed into sensitive territory. The Post's Manuel Roig-Franzia reports on the mixing of religion and politics in Mexico, as Catholic leaders such as Cardinal Norberto Rivera take a stand. The demonstrators wrapped in sleeping bags in the Zocalo clearly have no plans to take down their Virgins or their crucifixes. And Rivera seems disinclined to apologize for calling them crazy. So they sit across the street from each other, the protesters and the cardinal, immovable in their grudge match, with church bells clanging overhead. Read the full story. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/08/from_the_post_cardinal_and_the.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/08/from_the_post_cardinal_and_the.html From The Post Mon, 28 Aug 2006 08:35:27 -0500 Real political news in this nation awaiting-a-president, is hard to come by these days. The seven-member election tribunal is apparently chugging along considering a hefty batch of complaints and mulling whether to declare Felipe Calderón as the winner of the contested July 2 election. Leftist Andrés Manuel López Obrador who prompted this season of uncertainty by challenging those results, remains camped out in Mexico City's downtown square, known as the Zocalo. (Read all about Campaign Conexión's visit to the tent city.) Calderón, nominee of the ruling National Action Party (or PAN), is developing a transition plan that interestingly embraces some of the social policies his rival ran on. All of a sudden, the conservative who ran on promises to continue the policies of President Vicente Fox is talking about increasing cash handouts to poor, as well as reinvigorating housing and healthcare programs. The coming weeks are a big test of http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/08/mexico_waits_while_election_tr.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/08/mexico_waits_while_election_tr.html Campaign Conexión Fri, 25 Aug 2006 14:25:12 -0500 So much for democracy. It seems President Vicente Fox has made up his mind about who will be succeeding him Dec. 1. Suggesting he doesn't need to wait for the verdict of Mexico's election tribunal, Fox has called the contested presidential election in favor of his party's nominee Felipe Calderón. Fox also noted, accurately, that the mass demonstrations by supporters of Andrés Manuel López Obrador have been confined largely to the capital city. This is noteworthy because López Obrador had called for nationwide civil disobedience and it appears that many across Mexico, including people who voted for him, are discouraged, bored or simply have other things to do. Just in case anyone missed the point, Fox's spokesman reinforced el presidente's remarks. Campaign Conexión senses some concern in the Fox administration that things may not go too well for the boss's final address to the nation Sept. 1. López Obrador has http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/08/ready_or_not_fox_declares_a_wi.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/08/ready_or_not_fox_declares_a_wi.html Campaign Conexión Wed, 23 Aug 2006 09:00:22 -0500 Even though he was formally scolded for getting involved in the campaign to succeed him, President Vicente Fox is back in the middle of the brawl. For two full days, the Mexican media has been chronicling Fox's offers to "mediate" the simmering political crisis. Meanwhile, federal officers are descending on downtown Mexico City. What had been largely peaceful demonstrations by supporters of left-leaning Andrés Manuel López Obrador turned testy on Monday. Several legislators from López Obrador's Democratic Revolutionary Party, or PRD, say they were injured in scuffles with police officers spraying tear gas. Now 3,000 -- yes, 3,000! -- security agents from both federal and city forces are guarding the Mexican legislative building, known as San Lázaro. By the way, although they are wearing riot gear, the Preventive Police Force, says it is not armed. They are only using high-pressure water guns to subdue trouble-makers. Security officials have also http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/08/vicente_fox_for_peace_and_harm.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/08/vicente_fox_for_peace_and_harm.html Campaign Conexión Fri, 18 Aug 2006 09:00:19 -0500 The counting has ended but the wait continues. A partial recount of votes from nearly 12,000 polling places in Mexico's July 2 presidential contest concluded Sunday evening, but the seven judges who ordered the exercise had little to say Monday. So for now, it's status quo in Mexico, which means thousands of soggy protesters clogging vast stretches of downtown, Felipe Calderón behaving as if he's the president-elect and much of the country getting a little bit peeved at Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Because many of the polling places were closed to the public, Campaign Conexión cannot say with certainty what the final tally will show. But reports from the two camps and other overseers suggest that while López Obrador picked up a few thousand votes, it was not enough to erase Calderón's 240,000-vote margin. "López Obrador's aides contended Sunday that evidence had surfaced during the partial recount that ballots http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/08/what_to_do_but_wait.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/08/what_to_do_but_wait.html Campaign Conexión Tue, 15 Aug 2006 10:43:54 -0500 Protests in support of Andrés Manuel López Obrador continue to clog downtown Mexico City. As The Post's Manuel Roig-Franzia reports, López Obrador said Sunday the protests could last for years despite a partial recount that appears to be confirming his narrow loss. The opposing sides have waged a spin war since the recount began last Wednesday. López Obrador, of the Democratic Revolutionary Party, and his top lieutenants say the recount has confirmed their fraud suspicions and exposed the "disappearance" of 80,000 ballots. Arturo Sarukhan, a top Calderón adviser, painted a different picture in an interview Sunday, saying the recount revealed no changes in more than 90 percent of the recounted polling places. Mexico's special electoral court has until Sept. 6 to certify a winner. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/08/from_the_post_years_of_protest.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/08/from_the_post_years_of_protest.html From The Post Mon, 14 Aug 2006 10:53:21 -0500 Sometimes in Mexico you need to read several versions of the same story to make an educated guess as to what exactly is going on. Such is the case with the recount taking place in more than 11,000 polling places across the country. Judging from the front-page coverage in the tabloid La Jornada, the errors in the tabulations of the July 2 presidential vote seem endless. But coverage by El Universal is more subdued, referring to minor tally errors being discovered in the first day of the recount: "Officials reviewing ballots at a district office in the northern city of Monterrey took more than an hour to count the first of 100 ballot boxes, said Raúl González, a PRD representative helping monitor the tally. 'It's going very slowly," said González. He predicted the count would take four days. At a district office in Guadalupe, Nuevo León, outside of Monterrey, party http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/08/the_recount_reading_between_th_1.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/08/the_recount_reading_between_th_1.html Campaign Conexión Fri, 11 Aug 2006 13:42:06 -0500 The entire life cycle is happening out there on the Zocalo. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/08/antojitos_zocalo_life.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mexicovotes/2006/08/antojitos_zocalo_life.html Antojitos Thu, 10 Aug 2006 09:52:26 -0500