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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | December 2006 
Mexican MPs in Battle for Podium
 Jo Tuckman - The Guardian
Chaos reigned in Mexico's national congress yesterday in the aftermath of a brawl between MPs scrambling for control of the speaker's platform, where president-elect Felipe Calderón is due to take his oath of office tomorrow.
MPs from Mr Calderón's National Action party, PAN, occupied one tier, while the opposition Party of Democratic Revolution, PRD, took the other. The leftwing PRD claim their candidate, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, was cheated in July's election and have long threatened to sabotage the inauguration.
After a night defending their positions, both sides said yesterday that they were prepared to stay put until tomorrow. Leaders later began talks. If these fail Mr Calderón could be forced to choose between sending in the army or moving the ceremony, which is due to be attended by 12 heads of state.
Each side accuses the other of starting the punching, shoving and kicking to occupy the platform on Tuesday. One MP was filmed being dragged off a table while another grabbed objects to throw. Once a status quo was established, MPs chatted on their phones and ate sandwiches, between scuffles and taunts. |
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