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Mexico, Split by Culture and Economy - Presidential Election 2006
Phoenix, Arizona – “In an intense attempt to bring order to a
turbulent presidential battle, Federal Electoral Institute’s officials in
Mexico began examining sealed packets of vote tallies collected from
more than 130,000 polling places across the country. A meticulous
recount has the Mexican population lingering in an agonizing wait to
find out who their next president will be.
According to a preliminary count, Felipe Calderon, the PAN’s
candidate had a tiny lead over Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the
PRD’s candidate. Preliminary results were announced Monday and
Tuesday. The last preliminary count showed Calderón ahead of
Lopez Obrador by 257,000 votes, or 0.64 percent of more than 38
million ballots.
But on Wednesday, July 5, a dramatic recount shifted the
percentages in favor of Lopez Obrador, whose supporters
demonstrated at different areas of Mexico City, accusing the IFE’s
process as a fraudulent deliberate act. Lopez Obrador’s lead in the
recount slowly shifted back again, as Calderon Hinojosa’s
percentage kept rising, bringing both candidates back to the historic
tie that caused IFE’s officials to delay the announcement of whom
the winner was on Sunday.
Mexican citizens have been living three days of tension over the
outcome of the presidential election. The head of the Federal
Electoral Institute Luis Carlos Ugalde, stated on Wednesday that
results are being tabulated, but that he is uncertain how long the
recount will take. The process slows down if the tally sheets, or the
packages, appear to have been tampered with or damaged. The
packets then have to be opened, and a vote-by-vote count needs to
be conducted.
A Historic Electoral Journey Tarnished by Suspicion of Fraud
While in the United States millions of people were celebrating the
Fourth of July, in Mexico millions of Mexican citizens were still unsure
who their next president would be. Mexican citizens showed up to
vote in record numbers, and in a peaceful and admirable way. If you
had voted during the July 2 presidential election in Mexico, you
probably would have cast your vote for either Andres Manuel Lopez
Obrador –the Democratic Revolution Party’s candidate– or Felipe
Calderon Hinojosa –the National Action Party’s candidate.
According to preliminary counts, both contenders obtained a total of
27,651,720 votes between the two. Individually, they literally split
the 27 million plus votes with a difference so close, that the Federal
Electoral Institute (IFE) was not able to announce a winner, and so
near that sympathizers from both parties have drawn apart even
more.
An atmosphere of growing discontent has surrounded Lopez Obrador’
s supporters, who could not believe this candidate was not declared
the winner the same night of the elections. On midnight July 2, right
after Luis Carlos Ugalde, the IFE council’s director, announced there
was not a clear winner, Lopez Obrador proclaimed himself to be the
president-elect, summoning his thousands of supporters to the
Zocalo, Mexico’s City main plaza, to celebrate his assumed victory.
Since then, amid suspicions of an electoral fraud, their celebration
has turned into sour restlessness. Lopez Obrador himself rejected
the preliminary vote count, and his party officials demanded a vote
by vote count, accusing the IFE of untrustworthiness.
Calderon Hinojosa, who also announced his victory on the night of
the election, remained confident that the preliminary count, and at
least five more exit surveys were accurate, thus making him the
president-elect. On Wednesday night, Calderon remained confidently
that the recount will confirm he is the next president-elect.
But the Pan’s candidate may not see his triumph come easy or soon,
as the PRD’s contender prepares a likely legal fight to officially
dispute the presidential election outcome. If the preliminary count
becomes the official result, and Calderon is declared the winner,
Mexico may see their peaceful, admirable, and historic democratic
process, degenerate into a disgruntled, even more divided and
perhaps violent clash of philosophies, supporters, and parties.
The incredibly tight race between Lopez Obrador and Calderon
Hinojosa symbolizes more than a historic presidential electoral
process. The tie represents Mexico’s population split between those
who strive to see Mexico becoming a main player in the global
economy –a strong point in Calderon’s agenda, and those who see
in Lopez Obrador a cultural icon, and an advocate for the poor.
Calderon represents the north; Obrador the south. The south of
Mexico tilts toward Lopez Obrador –the left candidate; the north
leans for Calderon – the Harvard-educated technocrat. Thus, Mexico
is split by culture and economy, and between the north and the
south.
turbulent presidential battle, Federal Electoral Institute’s officials in
Mexico began examining sealed packets of vote tallies collected from
more than 130,000 polling places across the country. A meticulous
recount has the Mexican population lingering in an agonizing wait to
find out who their next president will be.
According to a preliminary count, Felipe Calderon, the PAN’s
candidate had a tiny lead over Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the
PRD’s candidate. Preliminary results were announced Monday and
Tuesday. The last preliminary count showed Calderón ahead of
Lopez Obrador by 257,000 votes, or 0.64 percent of more than 38
million ballots.
But on Wednesday, July 5, a dramatic recount shifted the
percentages in favor of Lopez Obrador, whose supporters
demonstrated at different areas of Mexico City, accusing the IFE’s
process as a fraudulent deliberate act. Lopez Obrador’s lead in the
recount slowly shifted back again, as Calderon Hinojosa’s
percentage kept rising, bringing both candidates back to the historic
tie that caused IFE’s officials to delay the announcement of whom
the winner was on Sunday.
Mexican citizens have been living three days of tension over the
outcome of the presidential election. The head of the Federal
Electoral Institute Luis Carlos Ugalde, stated on Wednesday that
results are being tabulated, but that he is uncertain how long the
recount will take. The process slows down if the tally sheets, or the
packages, appear to have been tampered with or damaged. The
packets then have to be opened, and a vote-by-vote count needs to
be conducted.
A Historic Electoral Journey Tarnished by Suspicion of Fraud
While in the United States millions of people were celebrating the
Fourth of July, in Mexico millions of Mexican citizens were still unsure
who their next president would be. Mexican citizens showed up to
vote in record numbers, and in a peaceful and admirable way. If you
had voted during the July 2 presidential election in Mexico, you
probably would have cast your vote for either Andres Manuel Lopez
Obrador –the Democratic Revolution Party’s candidate– or Felipe
Calderon Hinojosa –the National Action Party’s candidate.
According to preliminary counts, both contenders obtained a total of
27,651,720 votes between the two. Individually, they literally split
the 27 million plus votes with a difference so close, that the Federal
Electoral Institute (IFE) was not able to announce a winner, and so
near that sympathizers from both parties have drawn apart even
more.
An atmosphere of growing discontent has surrounded Lopez Obrador’
s supporters, who could not believe this candidate was not declared
the winner the same night of the elections. On midnight July 2, right
after Luis Carlos Ugalde, the IFE council’s director, announced there
was not a clear winner, Lopez Obrador proclaimed himself to be the
president-elect, summoning his thousands of supporters to the
Zocalo, Mexico’s City main plaza, to celebrate his assumed victory.
Since then, amid suspicions of an electoral fraud, their celebration
has turned into sour restlessness. Lopez Obrador himself rejected
the preliminary vote count, and his party officials demanded a vote
by vote count, accusing the IFE of untrustworthiness.
Calderon Hinojosa, who also announced his victory on the night of
the election, remained confident that the preliminary count, and at
least five more exit surveys were accurate, thus making him the
president-elect. On Wednesday night, Calderon remained confidently
that the recount will confirm he is the next president-elect.
But the Pan’s candidate may not see his triumph come easy or soon,
as the PRD’s contender prepares a likely legal fight to officially
dispute the presidential election outcome. If the preliminary count
becomes the official result, and Calderon is declared the winner,
Mexico may see their peaceful, admirable, and historic democratic
process, degenerate into a disgruntled, even more divided and
perhaps violent clash of philosophies, supporters, and parties.
The incredibly tight race between Lopez Obrador and Calderon
Hinojosa symbolizes more than a historic presidential electoral
process. The tie represents Mexico’s population split between those
who strive to see Mexico becoming a main player in the global
economy –a strong point in Calderon’s agenda, and those who see
in Lopez Obrador a cultural icon, and an advocate for the poor.
Calderon represents the north; Obrador the south. The south of
Mexico tilts toward Lopez Obrador –the left candidate; the north
leans for Calderon – the Harvard-educated technocrat. Thus, Mexico
is split by culture and economy, and between the north and the
south.
By Eduardo Barraza July 5, 2006
The 2006 presidential election in
Mexico has revealed two Mexicos:
one wants to be main player in the
global economy; the other an
advocate for the poor.
Photo: Sara Téllez Durand
Mexico has revealed two Mexicos:
one wants to be main player in the
global economy; the other an
advocate for the poor.
Photo: Sara Téllez Durand
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Eduardo Barraza is a journalist and writer,
Barriozona Magazine's editor, and director of
the Hispanic Insitute of Social Issues.
E-mail: editor@barriozona.com
Barriozona Magazine's editor, and director of
the Hispanic Insitute of Social Issues.
E-mail: editor@barriozona.com
