MEXICO: Mexican leftists declare their candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador the "legitimate president" in a symbolic move

Mexican leftists, who say the July 2 election was stolen, declared their candidate the "legitimate president" on Saturday (September 16), a symbolic move reducing the risk of street protests to make the country ungovernable. Aides said Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who narrowly lost the election, would use mainly political means rather than widespread protests in leading opposition to conservative President-elect Felipe Calderon. Tens of thousands of leftists meeting in the capital's vast downtown central square rejected a proposal to name Lopez Obrador head of a civil resistance campaign, which would have marked a more aggressive strategy to try to stop Calderon from ruling. The election sharply divided Mexico along class lines, a rift made worse by Lopez Obrador's fraud accusations. But fears of violence have eased in recent days as Lopez Obrador has apparently opted for an organized political movement to challenge Calderon rather than cause chaos on the streets. Supporters voted to swear Lopez Obrador in at a ceremony on Nov. 20, just days before Calderon takes power on Dec. 1. "It is obvious that we are not acting out of caprice or personal interest. Our decision and that of millions of Mexicans represented here is the firm and dignified answer to who the electors want," he told cheering followers. Mexico's top election court rejected Lopez Obrador's fraud claims and named Calderon president-elect by a tiny margin of 234,000 votes out of 41 million cast. Lopez Obrador launched a civil resistance campaign in August and his supporters blockaded central Mexico City, foreign banks and government ministries. The campaign caused traffic chaos in the capital but did little to help him win support. An almost seven-week blockade of the Zocalo and Mexico's central business district ended on Friday. There will, however, be sporadic protests in coming weeks, and delegates at a convention led by Lopez Obrador on Saturday voted to support a boycott against some of Mexico's biggest companies, who they believe backed Calderon's campaign. They included the Mexican units of major U.S. firms such as retailer Wal-Mart and financial giant Citigroup. Earlier on Saturday, leftists protested against President Vicente Fox at the nation's independence day military parade. They waved posters that read: "Fox, traitor to democracy," in the downtown Zocalo square as the outgoing president reviewed columns of troops and military hardware.

ITN Source | September 17, 2006

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