MEXICO: Mexican President-elect Felipe Calderon meets with outgoing President Vicente Fox

Conservative Felipe Calderon came from behind to snatch Mexico's presidency against the odds but now he faces the huge task of healing a divided country where over a third of the people think he is a cheat. A court named Calderon president-elect this week after throwing out charges by leftist rival Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador that the July 2 election was riddled with fraud. The influential Catholic Church took out a full-page advertisement in newspapers on Wednesday (September 6) calling on Mexicans to respect the court's decision after a bitter fight for the presidency that split the country along class lines. Calderon, 44, who trailed in opinion polls for most of the campaign, has called for unity and predicted a smooth transition from President Vicente Fox, a fellow conservative who will step down on Dec. 1. "We have agreed to create a team that will be preparing daily an orderly transition that permits the government to continue working intensively from the first day of the next administration," he said after meeting Fox. Told the media the election result was very clear. "I reiterate to the President elect Felipe Calderon that his position is absolute. I have given instruction to all the secretaries of state, of true disposition so that there be a professional transition," he said. Calderon vowed on Tuesday night he would give priority to tackling poverty and crime, and creating jobs. But Lopez Obrador, a former Indian rights activist, rejected the court ruling and is not going quietly. He will lead street protests against what he says was vote rigging and may try to set up his own "alternative government" that could hound Calderon for years. An opinion poll last week showed most Mexicans think the election was clean but a large chunk of the population -- 37 percent -- believe there was fraud. Calderon will find it hard to bring doubters on board. "This is just the beginning. It has not ended with naming of this president and I believe this is just beginning. I don't think a government like that is for the good of the country," said one voter. Lopez Obrador's appeal to voters taps into a mistrust of the ruling class that is endemic in Mexico where millions battle injustice, corruption and -- most of all -- poverty from cradle to grave. One in five Mexicans lack enough money to eat properly and many resent the privileged elite that Calderon is seen to represent. Top businessmen like telecommunications magnate Carlos Slim, the world's third-richest man, live in fabulous luxury. Calderon, who has a Harvard degree in public administration, promises to extend health care and pension schemes for the elderly, proposals also pushed by Lopez Obrador.

ITN Source | September 7, 2006

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