Close Race in Mexico
| 10:10 UK time, Wednesday, 5 July 2006
We've left my colleague Mike Lanchin, an expert on Central America (he lived there for more than a decade), to follow the anguished process by which Mexicans will finally learn who their president will be.
Once the candidate of the left, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, took the statesmanlike approach and made various comments about 'respecting the result' and 'political stability' we could tell the counting and perhaps recounting process could go on for many days.
And the likelihood of large scale street protests had diminished.
Keeping a big team on standby is expensive, and spending that money might deny us the opportunity to cover other stories on your behalf in the future.
Meanwhile, interesting comments in some of the blogs on the Mexico election.
Matthew Yglesias asks why we are getting so many close election results: .
He has some theories, the most interesting of which is that in democracies, politicians have to appeal to the centre ground to get elected and so there are fewer widely divergent positions in the mainstream.
Less to separate the candidates means voter choices will balance out and be equally divided. 50-50.
I'm not sure that works with Mexico, though (and Matthew doesn't weld himself to the theory, either).
There was a clear choice, at least in the rhetoric during the campaign.
Magpie underlines the echoes of the Bush-Gore election in 2000. And the even larger margin for .
Mark in Mexico, teaching English in Oaxaca, plays down the suggestion that there is anything terribly wrong in the 'discovery' of millions of uncounted votes. It's the system, and they have been
Mark Rose is sceptical in another way. He suspects a liberal conspiracy. They'll be next, he says.
Comments
The apparent lose by the Lefty Lib down there had you speechless this morning. First Gelsenkirchen, now this. (You didn't have a sneaky bet on Nelson in the Darby ? Not that warmonger.) Well, you can't win them all.
Wonder if you are enroute to Caracas to watch the Russian bombers ? Beware a mid-air.
With ´óÏó´«Ã½ closely covering the Mexico election and rigging now being charged by the loser the world wants to know how much 'vote fraud' you observed - while observing.
What is going on in Mexico, is an great example for polish people, what they should do with their Government. They should throw their government(whole) out, and demand new election. I am ashame of my nation, there is nothing left in Polish people, they just do not want to fight, like We did in 60's, 70's and 80's. with Communist Government. Poland never was so devide, as is now.Maybe finally somebody will start somethig there, peaceful, and fearless, they need a leader like Walesa. I am so sad, that We lost so many great fighter, so many lifes, for nothing!!!
Bravo People of Mexico!!!