Mexico Elections Certain to Face Court Challenges David Alire Garcia - Reuters
go to original July 9, 2012

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, presidential candidate for the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), speaks during a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Mexico City July 6, 2012. (Reuters/Henry Romero)

MEXICO CITY - Mexican leftist presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday he does not accept the July 1 election results in which he placed second.

According to official counts issued Sunday by election authorities, Lopez Obrador finished second with 31.59 percent of the vote. The final election tally put Enrique Pena Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in first with 38.21 percent, a winning margin of 3.3 million ballots.

"We cannot accept those results ...," Lopez Obrador said. "We have evidence to support this and when the time is right we are going to prove that around 5 million votes were bought."

Lopez Obrador also said he was the victim of voter fraud when he failed to win the Mexican presidency in 2006 and staged weeks of protests that blockaded parts of Mexico City.

Lopez Obrador, who has accused the PRI of excessive campaign spending and voter fraud, said he would withhold a final decision on his next steps until Thursday.

Josefina Vazquez Mota of the ruling National Action Party (PAN) finished in third place with 25.4 percent of the vote.

Mexico's election tribunal has until September to rule on any wrongdoing.

Editing by Bill Trott

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!