MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mexican opposition candidate apologizes to President Fox

In an unexpected move the Mexican leading opposition presidential candidate apologised to President Vicente Fox for having used offensive language against him although he also criticized the government's support for the ruling party candidate.

"I committed a mistake saying "shut up chachalaca!", which contradicts the purpose and attitude of my campaign. I assume the mistake as what it was: a language excess", says the letter from Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador addressed to President Fox.

Chachalaca is a parrot like Mexican bird which can't stop squawking and further more the name has a cacophonic rhyme with the slang word for s..t.

Lopez Obrador apology was seen as an unexpected and surprising move, however understandable, because the former mayor of the City of Mexico, a left leaning populist known for his inflammatory rhetoric even before becoming a presidential candidate was comfortably leading all public opinion polls for next July 2 presidential election.

But his ratings began dropping following several verbal confrontations with President Fox whom he nicknamed "chachalaca".

Mr. Fox's party candidate, (there's no re-election in Mexico) Felipe Calderón took advantage of Lopez Obrador's excesses calling him "intolerant" and comparing him to Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, a character not well seen by Mexican public opinion for also having insulted the Mexican president.

The opposition candidate kept loosing ground when he refused to participate in the first of two presidential candidates' debates.

Since then both candidates have similar public opinion ratings with Mr. Calderón in an ascending tendency and Lopez Obrador descending.

The two pages letter was sent to the Mexican Executive seat in Los Pinos residence and was made public by Tuesday morning dailies.

In the letter Mr. Lopez Obrador reveals he requested an interview with President Fox, which he considered necessary given the "absence of dialogue between the contending parties, not only between the political parties".

But the Fox-Lopez Obrador meeting never took place and no explanations are given in the letter.