MSG107G/01E MEXICO: Protests, Controversy Surround Ratification of Election
MEXICO CITY, Nov 09 (IPS) - The Mexican Parliament must either ratify or disqualify the results of the Aug. 21 general election, a decision that falls to the full majority held by the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).
Opposition deputies have denounced both the election and the ruling party's power in ratifying it. A long, drawn-out debate is expected, despite the apparently foregone conclusion.
PRI candidate Ernesto Zedillo won the presidency with 48 percent of the vote, followed by Diego Fernandez of the National Action Party (PAN), with 26 percent, and Cuauhtemoc Cardenas of the Revolutionary Democracy Party (PRD), with 17 percent.
PRI has 300 members in the House of Representatives, while PAN has 119, PRD 71 and the Workers' Party 10. Similarly, PRI holds 95 Senate seats, PAN 25 and PRD eight.
Opposition groups staged protests throughout the country as the Parliament opened discussions on the election, already ratified by the Commission on Governance and Constitutional Issues in the House of Representatives.
The Commission's declaration that the election was "valid and legitimate" was supported by the 16 PRI members, while all opposition members either abstained or boycotted the vote.
The opposition, especially the centre-left PRD, has denounced fraud and irregularities that allegedly affected both the election itself and the vote count. However, no one has claimed that a clean election would have yielded different results.
While admitting that the Mexican electoral process has room for improvement, ruling party spokesmen said the complaints were an attempt to "hide" the opposition's defeat.
PAN is expected to abstain from the vote on the ratification, while the PRD has announced its intention to vote against it.
Fernandez said that, "despite advances, (the PAN) can not ratify the election because inequality and injustice have prevailed" in the electoral process.
Meanwhile, Cardenas advocated annulment of the election, with the an interim President named until new elections could be held to "open doors to reinstate full constitutional order."
He called for an inauguration day protest to "analyse the country's situation and define short and medium term organisation and political actions." Cardenas called for renewed struggle for democracy in upcoming local elections in several Mexican states.
Electoral concerns are a leading issue in Mexico's political panorama, seen by politicians and analysts from all sectors as an obstacle to be overcome as soon as possible.
© Inter Press Service (2014) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service