WORLD / America

Conservative leads in Mexico vote recount
(AP)
Updated: 2006-07-06 19:30

The two front-runners in Mexico's closest presidential race in history watched anxiously Thursday as an overnight vote tally recount saw the conservative candidate Felipe Calderon catch up to his leftist rival and pass him by a razor-thin margin.

Hundreds of Calderon supporters gathered at his campaign headquarters cheered wildly with the news as the ruling-party candidate - who was shown winning by 1 percentage point in the preliminary count completed earlier in the week - emerged once again to declare victory.


Mexican presidential candidate, Felipe Calderon of the National Action Party, PAN, celebrates with supporters at his party's headquarters in Mexico City, Mexico on Thursday July 6, 2006. Conservative Mexican presidential candidate has slight lead in vote recount with 98 percent of votes tallied.[AP]

"We are ahead in the election for the presidency, and the remaining votes to be counted will be in our favor," a smiling Calderon said to applause and whistles from his followers.

His opponent, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, remained holed up at his home awaiting the final vote count.

With nearly 98 percent of the vote tallies recounted, Calderon had 35.62 percent of the vote, while Lopez Obrador had 35.57. It was the first time since counting began early Wednesday that Calderon held the lead. Mexico's electoral officials said they would not announce any tendencies until the full count was completed.

Both campaigns insisted throughout the day that they would triumph when the final numbers came in, but asked their supporters to refrain from violence whatever the result.

While thanking his supporters, Calderon also turned his attention to the millions who did not vote for him, asking them "to give me a chance to win your confidence."

Calling Sunday's election "the most democratic and cleanest in the history of Mexico," Calderon asked his rival and all Mexicans to erase the bitter divisions that arose during the lengthy campaign, and focus "not on our differences, but on our similarities."

"Starting today, let's help Mexico begin a new era of peace, of reconciliation," he said.

In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, Calderon offered to include Lopez Obrador in his Cabinet - an effort to build a coalition government and avoid weeks of political impasse. But he said he did not believe his rival would accept, adding that the two men had not spoken to each other since Sunday's election.

Each campaign accused the other of trying to manipulate the vote counts to favor their candidate, while electoral officials implored them to refrain from declaring victory until the full count was complete.


Page: 12