World Report: September 15, 2006 Vol. 12 No. 3
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Grades 4-6
A Democracy Divided
Fireworks erupted after the announcement last week that Felipe Calderón would be Mexico's next president. Upon hearing the news, demonstrators in Mexico City raised their fists, waved signs and shouted slogans. Their words were angry. The fireworks were not celebratory.
Calderón was declared the winner two months after Mexico's presidential election on July 2. He won the vote by less than 1%. Losing candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the former mayor of Mexico City, immediately challenged the results, saying the election had been rigged.
On Tuesday, the country's top electoral court ruled that the election had been fair. The Federal Electoral Tribunal came to its decision by reviewing campaign tactics and recounting some of the votes. The court found some irregularities, but said that there was not enough evidence to change the results.
The court's president, Leonel Castillo Gonzalez, urged Mexicans to unite behind Calderón. "I hope we conclude this process leaving confrontation behind," he said.
The Challenge Ahead
The election exposed a deep divide between Mexico's rich and poor.
Almost half the population of 106 million lives in poverty. López
Obrador won widespread support among Mexico's disadvantaged. Many do not
trust what they view as Calderón's pro-business policies.
The country's electoral system has a history of fraud. For decades, fixed elections allowed one party to stay in power.
López Obrador has vowed not to accept the court's ruling. He says he will set up an "alternative government." He has also threatened to organize mass protests on September 16, Mexico's Independence Day.
As he prepares to take office on December 1, Calderón must address the issues raised by the election. He has reached out to López Obrador, saying he would sit down for negotiations. He has also promised to create jobs and fight corruption. "I am going to be a president for everyone," he said, "a president driven by fairness and equality."
