POLITICS-MEXICO: Recording Points to Plan Against Lopez Obrador

The Mexican leftwing presidential candidate, Andrés López Obrador, received support for his contention that government circles and the politically powerful had plotted against him, when a businessman revealed that a number of videos were aired in 2004 with the aim of bringing the politician into disrepute.

ELECTIONS-MEXICO: Leftwing Protesters Prepared for the Long Haul

"Democracy under construction: We apologise for the inconvenience." Placards bearing this message dotted the crowd of some 8,000 people who Tuesday marked the 17th straight day of sit-ins on one of the capital's main thoroughfares and central public squares, where they have vowed to stay until leftwing candidate Andrés López Obrador is declared president.

ELECTIONS-MEXICO: Left Vows to Continue Pressure for Total Recount

The left in Mexico is aiming its artillery at President Vicente Fox in its demand for a total recount of the vote, which the top electoral court has already ruled out, while keeping up the pressure on the court with street blocks in the capital despite the irritation of businesses and the public.

MEXICO: The Left Takes to the Streets

While analysts warn of the risk of social upheaval in Mexico if the authorities confirm conservative candidate Felipe Calderón as president-elect, thousands of supporters of Andrés Manuel López Obrador launched a civil resistance campaign Monday to demand a vote-by-vote recount.

MEXICO: Court Reviews Claims of Election Fraud

A high federal court in Mexico is reviewing the leftist opposition's claims of fraud in the Jul. 2 presidential elections, while election observers and independent experts point to irregularities and suspicious developments seen before, during and after election day.

ELECTIONS-MEXICO: Lopez Obrador Ups the Ante

Andrés López Obrador, Mexico's leftist presidential hopeful, is encouraging supporters to engage in peaceful acts of civil resistance and keep a close eye on the ballot boxes stored in 300 districts, reiterating that conservative Felipe Calderón stands to take over a presidency stripped of legitimacy if he continues to block a full recount.

MEXICO: Drug Traffickers Wage War Over Acapulco

The famed international resort city of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast of southern Mexico, has become a battleground in the last few weeks as criminal gangs wage a turf war over control of the illegal drugs trade. Their latest challenge to the authorities was the kidnapping and murder of two members of the military this week.

ELECTIONS-MEXICO: Challenges Persist, But Calderon Begins Transition

The battle continues between the two candidates who on Jul. 2 vied for the Mexican presidency at the ballot box. Conservative Felipe Calderón announced Tuesday that he is beginning transition work with the current government, while leftist Andrés López Obrador presents more evidence of alleged election fraud.

ELECTIONS-MEXICO: Conservative Calderon Wins, but Left Challenges Result

The final count in Mexico's presidential election gives a narrow victory to the governing party candidate, Felipe Calderón. But his leftist rival Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that he would challenge the result and he questioned the actions and independence of the electoral authorities.

ELECTIONS-MEXICO: Voters Bring PRI Dynasty to Definitive End

Mexico's once-powerful PRI is hanging its head in shame after a disastrous performance in Sunday's elections, while leading candidates Felipe Calderón, of the governing conservative party, and left-leaning Andrés Manuel López Obrador remain under the microscope for the duration of the definitive recount.

ELECTIONS-MEXICO: Tensions High as Presidency Hangs in the Balance

Mexico awoke Monday morning to not one, but two claims of presidential victory - one from the governing-party candidate and another from his left-leaning opponent - although the winner has yet to be officially declared. The unprecedented scenario has tensions running high and is putting the country's democratic institutions to the test.

ELECTIONS-MEXICO: PAN’s Calderon – Conservative Catholic for Continuity

Scarcely one year ago, no one would have dreamed that conservative-party member Felipe Calderón would end up as a presidential candidate at all, much less a favourite going into the elections this Sunday.

ELECTIONS-MEXICO: PRD’s Lopez Obrador – Leftist Pledges Pain-Free Change

Few nicknames are as evocative as that of Mexico's left-leaning presidential hopeful. Andrés López Obrador's "Peje" refers to the "pejelagarto" fish - complete with lizard-like head, hard scales and sharp teeth - that lives in the tropical state of Tabasco, the birthplace of the politician who some adore, and some fear.

ELECTIONS-MEXICO: Campaign Deadline Brings Relief from Mudslinging

Observers of Mexico's upcoming elections would be hard-pressed to find any vestiges of affinity between the country's leftist Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) and conservative National Action Party (PAN), which prior to 2000 often toiled shoulder to shoulder in the opposition trenches.

MEXICO: Social Conflicts, Hostile Campaign Pose No Threat to Elections

Mexico's Jul. 2 elections will go smoothly, and the president-elect will be announced that same day, say authorities and international observers, who are neither worried about the social conflicts that have broken out during the campaign nor about the political mudslinging.

ELECTIONS-MEXICO: Long-standing Divisions Flare Up with a Vengeance

Analysts have no doubt that on Jul. 2, Mexicans will elect as their new president one of two candidates with radically different personalities and plans. They epitomise the historical dichotomy between liberals and conservatives, revolutionaries and reformers, left and right.

MEXICO: PRI Lives On in Opposition Parties

The almost 80-year-old Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) is destined for defeat in Mexico's Jul. 2 elections, according to opinion polls. While some analysts say this may send the party into a tailspin, or even drive it into its grave, others note that former party faithful have found a way to keep the PRI's essence alive.

MEXICO: It’s Raining Political Ads

In what analysts are criticising as the commercialisation of the electoral process, Mexico's politicians have all but taken over the country's airwaves. Since Jan. 1, they have bombarded three cities with more than 90,000 campaign spots.

MEXICO: Using Rock to Get Out the Young Vote

"We all complain. But how many of us vote? If you don't vote: shut up. Don't let anyone else decide for you on July 2." With this slogan, printed on billboards and signs with the image of famous actors, rock stars and models, the Tu Rock Es Votar campaign is trying to encourage young people in Mexico to take part in the coming presidential elections.

MEXICO: Millennium Development Goals – Political Cement?

During the Vicente Fox administration, initiatives to obtain political agreement to reform Mexico's economic and social structures have failed. Now, in the midst of an aggressive election campaign, another proposal has emerged, dangling the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as bait.

RIGHTS-MEXICO: Fox Administration – Bold First Steps, Little Follow-Through

The government of Vicente Fox has marked a radical turning-point with respect to the focus on human rights in Mexico, taking unprecedented steps towards transparency, international scrutiny and public access to government information, according to a Human Rights Watch report released Wednesday.