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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | November 2006 
Leftist Seeks Funding for Parallel Gov't
 E. Eduardo Castillo - Associated Press
| | According to Lopez Obrador's Web site, the campaign has opened bank accounts where Mexicans can donate anywhere from about $9 to $2,800. |
Passing the hat for donations may seem like an unlikely way to fund a government. But aides to former leftist presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Wednesday he will do just that, seeking contributions from ordinary Mexicans to support a parallel, "legitimate" administration he declared after losing the July 2 elections to President-elect Felipe Calderon by a razor-thin margin.
Lopez Obrador, who claims he was robbed of the victory by fraud, has already named a Cabinet. He plans to be "sworn in" to office on Monday, Mexico's Revolution Day, in the capital's main square.
Calderon will be sworn in as the country's official president on Dec. 1.
According to Lopez Obrador's Web site, the campaign has opened bank accounts where Mexicans can donate anywhere from about $9 to $2,800. Lopez Obrador has not said exactly what the money will be used for.
"We're doing this because otherwise, we wouldn't have the means to survive or get funds for the movement," said Lopez Obrador spokesman Cesar Yanez. "We trust that people will donate, little by little."
Based in Mexico City, the parallel government will not try to collect taxes or make laws. Rather, it will focus on organizing supporters around the country and waging a resistance campaign to undermine President-elect Felipe Calderon during his six-year term that begins Dec. 1.
Lopez Obrador's claims of fraud and requests for a full recount were rejected by the Federal Electoral Tribunal. Following a partial recount, the court confirmed Calderon's victory over Lopez Obrador by less than 1 percentage point. |
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