Calderon prepares for victory in Mexico
By WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press Writer
48 minutes ago

MEXICO CITY - Ruling-party presidential candidate Felipe Calderon quietly prepared for victory while his leftist opponent vowed to never concede defeat hours before Mexico's top electoral court was to announce a final ruling in the hotly disputed July elections — an unappealable decision expected to favor Calderon.


Tuesday's long-awaited ruling by the Federal Electoral Tribunal — which comes two months, three days, and tens of thousands of pages of legal challenges after voters cast their ballots — is unlikely to end potentially explosive protests or close the growing political divide gripping the country.

"The court is going to say, 'The election was valid and Calderon is the president and that's the end of it,'" said political analyst Oscar Aguilar. "But that won't turn the page. That won't end anything."

Hundreds of supporters of leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador set up an overnight camp at the court's headquarters late Monday, vowing to prevent the judges from declaring Calderon president.

Most of the court's rulings so far have favored Calderon, who has a 240,000-vote advantage over Lopez Obrador. During an early morning session, the seven magistrates will give their final count in the election and decide whether it was valid. While they have the power to annul the election, there are no signs they plan to do so. The court's decision is final and cannot be appealed.

Both sides appeared to agree that the judges would confirm a Calderon victory in the July 2 election.

"We are very calm, very sure," Juan Camilo Mourino, who heads Calderon's transition team, said Monday. "Tomorrow, Felipe Calderon will be president-elect."

Lopez Obrador, who previously has indicated that he expects the court to decide in Calderon's favor, barely made mention of the impending decision Monday during his nightly address to followers in Mexico City's historic central plaza, the Zocalo.

Instead, he focused on an upcoming national convention of his supporters to decide if he should declare himself head of a parallel government. Members of that government would then go on to vote on a series of reforms to the country's institutions.

"This movement is now about transforming the country," he said.

"What we are proposing now could just be a dream — maybe it won't bear fruit, maybe it will be that we fail — but you know what we have? We have confidence, and above all the responsibility to do it," he later added. "The dreams of the men and women of today will be the realities of tomorrow."

The convention is planned for Sept. 16, Mexico's Independence Day, in the Zocalo, where the armed forces traditionally mass for a march down Mexico City's main Reforma avenue. Both places have been occupied by protesters for more than a month.

Lopez Obrador and his supporters claim fraud, illicit government spending and dirty tricks swayed the election in favor of Calderon, a member of President Vicente Fox's National Action Party.

Mexican presidents are limited by the constitution to one, six-year term, and Fox leaves office Dec. 1.

Protesters say they won't go home until Lopez Obrador is declared president — and a court ruling in Calderon's favor will just fuel their fight.

Another potentially explosive confrontation could come well before inauguration day. Shortly before midnight Sept. 15, Fox is expected to visit the capital's central plaza to yell "Viva Mexico!" and kick off the country's Independence Day celebrations. But the city center has been overrun by protesters supporting Lopez Obrador who may try to keep him from speaking.

"For Mexico, in historical terms, that could be like a political Waterloo," said Homero Aridjis, a poet and newspaper columnist. "A lot of things will be decided. It could be the final political defeat for Fox, or the moment in which he regains a little credibility."

Gabriel Juarez, who was among those blocking Reforma, said Fox's administration has pressured the court to favor Calderon.

"Its rulings are lies," the 70-year-old retiree said.

Business leaders said Monday they plan to file lawsuits against Mexico City's government and Lopez Obrador's party, alleging they are responsible for $369 million in lost revenues due to the protests. Lopez Obrador's Democratic Revolution Party controls the capital's government and has refused to remove the protesters, supplying them with electricity and police protection.

Tensions spilled from the streets to the halls of Congress on Friday, when lawmakers from Lopez Obrador's party the podium of the legislature and blocked Fox from delivering his final state-of-the-nation address.

The party has also pledged to keep Calderon from being sworn in before Congress on Dec. 1.

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