MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mexico calls for unity and respect for the law

The Mexican government called on Friday for national unity and respect for the law while a court rules on challenges to the announced results of the July 2 presidential election which populist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador followers describe as an “organized fraud”.

During an education event for student winners of a Knowledge Olympics, President Vicente Fox emphasized that unity is an indispensable requisite for building a stronger country but declined to get involved in the post-election strife.

"We have a rich country because it is diverse and it is united, and that is what makes us strong" insisted Fox who next December 1 leaves office to whoever is finally declared winner of the contested July 2 election.

President Fox spokesman Ruben Aguilar said in a press conference that "we need unity and respect for the law and for our institutions so that Mexico can move ahead and deal with its toughest challenges".

Aguilar said that the administration was keeping to its decision of "non-interference in the electoral process, letting it continue", although it does "call on all citizens to behave with respect for our institutions". The Federal Electoral Court is evaluating challenges against the election results from the political parties.

Candidate Felipe Calderon from the ruling National Action Party (PAN) according to the Electoral Institute garnered the most votes on July 2 and strongly rejects claims of "fraud" declaring himself the rightful winner of the balloting.

The Federal Election Institute (IFE) stated that conservative candidate Calderón obtained 0.58 of a percentage point more votes than Lopez Obrador.

However both Calderon and Lopez Obrador have called on their followers to "defend the victory" in a series of public demonstrations which analysts fear will polarize the nation even more.

Lopez Obrador, who has led two demonstrations in the Zocalo square in Mexico City and has announced a campaign of "civil resistance" told the media that "social peace" in the country depends on whether the magistrates of the Electoral Court accede to his demands for a "vote by vote" recount of the elections.

Aguilar said Friday that it is up to the court "to resolve and decide on the electoral process" and that without reference to any particular instance or case "the law is not negotiable; it is not exercised as a result of pressure and does not admit any kind of blackmail from anybody".

Electoral judges will hold hearings with party representatives beginning next week regarding challenges to ballots results. The Electoral Court must come to a decision on the challenge by August. 31 and on September 6 must officially announce the president-elect to succeed Fox.

In an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Pais, President Fox said that in the future Mexico must reform the electoral system and include a run off or second round in presidential elections to improve the "working majorities system"

"I favour the second round mechanism (when there's no clear winner in the first round) as the mechanism to ensure working majorities which will enable the country address major challenges", said Fox, who underlined that the Executive is banned from interfering in the electoral and count.