Thread: Mexican president calls for harmony

Mexican president calls for harmony
By JULIE WATSON, Associated Press Writer
32 minutes ago



MEXICO CITY - President Vicente Fox called on Mexicans to overcome their deep political divisions in a state-of-the-nation speech he was forced to deliver over television after protests by leftist lawmakers kept him from addressing Congress in person.

Lawmakers protesting conservative Felipe Calderon's victory in the July 2 presidential election, which leftists claim was fraudulent, stormed the stage Friday evening and refused to yield, making Fox the first president in modern Mexican history not to deliver his annual address to Congress.

Fox later urged the nation to not let disputes over the vote undermine the country's democracy.

"Whoever attacks our laws and institutions also attacks our history and Mexico," he said in a thinly veiled reference to leftist presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who claims Fox robbed him of victory.

The opposition lawmakers took over the stage in Congress shortly before Fox arrived Friday, waving Mexican flags and holding placards calling the president a traitor to democracy. They ignored Congressional president Jorge Zermeno's demands that they return to their seats, shouting "Vote by Vote" — a rallying cry for Lopez Obrador's bid for a full recount in the election.

When Fox arrived at the door of the Legislative Palace, he handed in a written copy of his report — as the constitution requires — and announced over the loudspeaker that he wouldn't appear before lawmakers. He did not enter the chambers, and Congress was adjourned.

Appearing on television later as thousands of Lopez Obrador supporters occupied Mexico City's center, Fox said the nation "requires harmony, not anarchy."

"A divided society is a weak society, a society that is incapable of achieving its goals or taking care of its neediest members," he said.

The standoff came six days before the top electoral court must declare a president-elect or annul the July 2 vote and order a new election. So far, rulings have favored Calderon, of Fox's National Action Party, who was ahead by about 240,000 votes in the official count.

Lopez Obrador has already said he won't recognize the electoral court's decision and he plans to create a parallel government and rule from the streets. The former Mexico City mayor has accused Fox used fraud and backroom deals to keep him from the presidency. Fox denies that.

Zermeno, also a member of the ruling party, said Friday's confrontation called into question plans for the Dec. 1 inauguration of Fox's successor. He called for an end to weeks of angry rhetoric and protests by leftists.

"The country can't advance when there are threats, ultimatums and blockades," he said.

Fearing violent protests, authorities had surrounded Congress earlier Friday with multiple layers of steel barriers, attack dogs in cages, water cannons and riot police in full protective gear. Entire neighborhoods were sealed off, preventing some of the city's sprawling markets from opening, and nearby subway stations were shut down.

Many had feared the deepening political turmoil over the election to replace Fox could explode into violence, but Lopez Obrador called on his supporters to remain peacefully gathered in Mexico City's Zocalo plaza — instead of marching on Congress as they had previously planned.

"We aren't going to fall into any trap. We aren't going to be provoked," he told tens of thousands who waited in a driving rain to hear him speak.

Several hundred protesters marched within a few blocks of Congress, throwing rocks at riot police. But there were no major clashes.

The tense situation was a far cry from the optimism and enthusiasm that followed Fox's victory six years ago. That election ended 71 years of one-party rule and prompted the world to declare Mexico a true democracy.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060902/ap_ ... _elections

Has anyone seen anything about this on the news medias ? I haven't.

Yes, I have been following this fairly closely and I believe Lopez Obrador's claims of voting fraud have merit. While I haven't seen much in the way of television coverage, the Philly Inquirer is doing a decent job of keeping it's readers up to date on the situation.

I am sick and tired of that jack donkey Foxie. Problem is, the next one might be worse.

Fox later urged the nation to not let disputes over the vote undermine the country's democracy.

It’s like a couple of rats fighting over who will be on top of the landfill.

"A divided society is a weak society, a society that is incapable of achieving its goals or taking care of its neediest members," he said.

You must have been divided for years because you sure aren’t taking care of you own citizens.

"The country can't advance when there are threats, ultimatums and blockades," he said.

We say the same thing up here. However your illegal border jumping citizens don’t seem to understand.

Several hundred protesters marched within a few blocks of Congress, throwing rocks at riot police.

And they do the same thing after they sneak up here. Something in your water?