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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | December 2005 
Obrador Accepts Party Nomination
 Mark Stevenson - Associated Press
| | Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, waves to supporters as he arrives at Mexico City's main Zocalo plaza to accept his nomination as the the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) presidential candidate for the 2006 elections on Saturday.(AP/Dario Lopez-Mills) |
Mexico City - Tens of thousands filled the Mexican capital's massive main plaza Saturday as a fiery former mayor considered the 2006 presidential race's front-runner formally accepted the nomination of a coalition of leftist parties.
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who stepped down as Mexico City mayor to run for president with the Democratic Revolution Party, faced a sea of supporters chanting "Obrador! Obrador!" and wearing hats and waving flags featuring his party's yellow-and-black colors.
But perhaps the best-known face of the Mexican left - Democratic Revolution founder and perennial presidential candidate Cuauhtemoc Cardenas - was absent from the platform, opting to skip the celebration.
Democratic Revolution leader Leonel Cota Montano said he hoped Cardenas would eventually join Lopez Obrador's campaign.
"We always miss Mr. Cardenas," he said. "In these settings, his presence is indispensable."
Lopez Obrador formally became Democratic Revolution's candidate Thursday, but headed to the plaza known as the "Zocalo" to accept the nomination of the "For the Good of All" coalition, which includes the smaller Labor and Convergence parties.
The former mayor has led most opinion polls for the July election for the last two years.
But in recent weeks, some polls found conservative Felipe Calderon of President Vicente Fox's National Action Party narrowing the gap. Mexican law bans Fox from seeking re-election.
Roberto Madrazo, whose Institutional Revolutionary Party controlled Mexico's presidency from its founding in 1929 until losing to Fox at the polls six years ago, has also gained ground on Lopez Obrador of late.
Lopez Obrador became popular in Mexico City thanks in large part to handout programs for seniors, single mothers and others, as well as public works projects designed to alleviate traffic problems.
But his critics have dubbed him a populist who ran up large city deficits in order to win over would be voters.
Salvador Gutierrez, a 63-year-old engineer who turned out to cheer Lopez Obrador on Saturday, said fears the ex-mayor was too left-wing for the business community in Mexico and abroad were overblown.
"Foreign capital should not be afraid," he said. "It will be respected and protected because it is necessary." |
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