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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | September 2006 
Lopez Obrador Vows Never to End Political Fight
 Chris Aspin - Reuters
| | Supporters of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador hold a banner that reads, 'Fox : traitor to democracy' as they celebrate in the 'Zocalo' main square during the commemoration of Mexico's Independence Day in Mexico City September 15, 2006. Mexico is celebrating its 196th anniversary since claiming independence from Spain. (Reuters) |
Mexico's leftist opposition leader vowed on Friday never to give up his fight for the presidency despite lifting a 48-day blockade of central Mexico City set up to protest suspected election fraud.
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's supporters dismantled their shabby tent city in the main Zocalo square and along Reforma boulevard in the capital, allowing traffic to flow freely for the first time since late July.
The sit-in failed to force a recount of the July 2 presidential vote won narrowly by the conservative ruling party's Felipe Calderon.
Lopez Obrador had demanded all 41 million votes be counted again, but Mexico's top electoral court refused, ruling there was no electoral fraud, and declared Calderon president-elect.
The leftist said his protest was a model of peaceful resistance because it drew thousands of supporters without a pane of glass being broken.
"We are going to keep fighting without backing down," the former welfare officer and mayor of Mexico City told supporters at a rally in the Zocalo, hours before Mexico kicked off its main independence day ceremony there.
Leftists will decide in coming days whether to keep up a civil resistance campaign against Calderon, who takes office on December 1, and set up a parallel government led by Lopez Obrador.
After a military parade on Saturday, they plan to take back the Zocalo for a convention of supporters from across the country. They will not go back to shutting Reforma but could announce new blockades and protests elsewhere.
President Vicente Fox dropped plans to lead the traditional independence day cry, or "grito" in the Zocalo on Friday night. His spokesman said he backed down because radical leftists had plotted violent clashes that could have led to deaths.
Leftists accuse Fox of breaking Mexico's strict election laws by openly supporting Calderon in the bitter campaign.
They plan to fill the Zocalo square for the grito ceremony and wanted to give Fox a rowdy reception. Fox chose to switch venues for the ceremony and will now give the grito in the central town of Dolores Hidalgo.
"The only factor that was taken into account ... was to defend the lives of people," Fox spokesman Ruben Aguilar said. "It would have been a tragedy for this country."
It is the second time Fox backed down to the left this month. Lawmakers who support Lopez Obrador seized the podium of Congress and forced Fox to abandon his state of the nation speech on September 1. He gave the address later on television.
Aguilar did not specify what type of violence was planned at the grito ceremony, which traditionally takes place on the eve of independence day and ends with the president shouting, "Viva Mexico" in front of a flag-waving crowd.
Gerardo Fernandez, an aide to Lopez Obrador, said the statements by Fox's spokesman only added to political tensions that had split the country.
"We totally reject the irresponsible declaration by the presidential spokesman that lacks proof and reason," he said. |
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