Mexico Sees Start of Election Challenge Process Associated Press
go to original July 18, 2012

MEXICO CITY - Mexico's highest electoral court has formally received the legal challenges filed by the second-place leftist candidate seeking to annul the July 1 presidential elections.

The challenges filed by leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador appear to face an uphill struggle given the 6.6.-percent margin of victory for the winner of the race, Enrique Pena Nieto.

Lopez Obrador claims Pena Nieto's campaign engaged in overspending and vote buying. The court says he submitted 58 boxes of evidence as part of the challenge.

Pena Nieto said Wednesday his victory was legitimate and said he felt optimistic despite the protests and legal challenges against his victory.

"I hope that the political parties will assume a democratic attitude of respect for the results of these elections," Pena Nieto said. "I see a favorable scenario, I feel optimistic about achieving agreements" with other parties.

Pena Nieto met with President Felipe Calderon at the presidential residence late Tuesday.

Calderon's office said the president promised to start "an orderly transition process" after the court rules on the challenges. Members of Calderon's conservative National Action Party have also accused Pena Nieto of vote-buying and overspending, but are not seeking to overturn the election results.

Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party held Mexico's presidency without interruption for 71 years. If Pena Nieto assumes office on Dec. 1, it would mark the party's first return to the presidency since it lost the 2000 elections.

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