President of Mexico elected after fraud dispute

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.

His leftist rival, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, had said he would not recognise the ruling. His supporters wept as the decision was announced and the courthouse shook as protesters set off fireworks outside.

“This has been fraudulent from start to finish,” said Claudio Martinez, 23.

Mr Calderon, staying out of sight at the ruling party offices, now must win over millions of Mexicans angry that President Vicente Fox didn’t make good on promises of sweeping change — and fend off thousands of radicalised leftists who say they will stop at nothing to undermine his presidency.

The court’s final, official vote count trimmed Calderon’s 240,000-vote advantage to 233,831 votes out of 41.6 million cast.

Judge Alfonsina Berta Navarro Hidalgo said the court found evidence of problems, but not enough to annul the election.

“There are no perfect elections,” she said.

The tribunal’s decision cannot be appealed.

The long-awaited ruling by the Federal Electoral Tribunal — which came two months, three days, and tens of thousands of pages of legal challenges after voters cast their ballots — was unlikely to end potentially explosive protests or close the growing political divide gripping the country.

The court rejected Mr Lopez Obrador’s “dirty campaign” allegations, but said Fox put the election at risk with his comments.

Mr Lopez Obrador had argued that an ad campaign comparing him to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez illegally affected the elections. But the court said that while the ads had a strong impact, it was not enough to change the result.

The court said there was “no logical connection” to Mr Lopez Obrador’s claim that television ads by pro-Calderon businesses had subliminal messages in favour of Calderon.

The court’s president, Leonel Castillo, called on Mexicans to unite and heal the deep divisions the election revealed.