THE battle for Mexico’s presidency has turned from a nasty campaign of mudslinging into a tense tug of war in court.

Lawyers for Mexico’s leading leftist presidential candidate were preparing their case yesterday for a ballot-by-ballot recount, alleging that the July 2 election – Mexico’s closest presidential race ever – was marred by fraud and a dirty campaign.

Mexico’s main leftist candidate plans to challenge the presidential vote tally at tens of thousands of polling places, and also will allege that attack ads by the apparently victorious conservative were illegally harsh, a top adviser said today.

MEXICO’S ruling party’s Felipe Calderon has gained an insurmountable lead in the presidential vote count, but his leftist rival vowed yesterday to challenge the results in court, setting the stage for a long battle over who will lead the nation’s young democracy.

Mexico’s ruling party’s Felipe Calderon had an insurmountable lead in today’s presidential vote count, but his leftist rival vowed to challenge the results in court, setting the stage for a long battle over who will lead the nation’s young democracy.

MEXICO’S leftist party demanded yesterday that electoral officials recount every vote cast in the country’s closest presidential race ever, claiming the balloting was manipulated and renewing fears that its fiery candidate, Mr Lopez Obrador, could launch massive street protests.

Ruling party candidate Felipe Calderon declared victory in Mexico’s closest presidential race ever, saying today that his 370,000-vote lead was insurmountable.

Mexico’s presidential election was too close to call today, with voters bitterly divided between a left-wing offering himself as a saviour to the poor and a conservative free-trader both declaring themselves the winner.

Voters decide today whether to elect a free-spending leftist who pledges to put the poor first or a conservative career politician who says private investment and free markets are the road to prosperity.

FELIPE Calderon became president-elect of Mexico yesterday, two months after disputed elections, when the nation’s top electoral court voted unanimously to reject allegations of fraud and certify his narrow victory.

The Zapatista rebels embarked on a historic transformation today at a mass meeting intended to take them out of their jungle hideouts and into the cut-throat world of Mexican politics.