Mexican Presidential Election 2006

Okay, how many of you ATSers know that Mexican President Fox is at the end of his term and cannot run again? (show of hand please)

How many know that there is a Presidential Election in Mexico this year, in fact on July 2, 2006? (show of hand please)

I find it VERY amazing that so little media attention has been given to the presidential election of the US neighbor, especially in light of the problems with the border.
I think there must be an effort to keep us in the dark about this near future event and welcome your thoughts on the topic.

boston.com
Mexico hopeful takes hard line vs. NAFTA




[edit on 17-6-2006 by DontTreadOnMe]

Mexico has politics and a president?

Jeez, and here's me standing there like a stunned mullet when I learnt the same thing about Canada . . .

Yeah, imagine that.
With the news in the US, it's hard to know much that goes on in the rest of the world. Geez, someone must think they're important

But, you would think that this election would impact the US and ATS, since it has such a huge chance to impact illegal immigration, relations with Mexico, and how Mexico reacts with the rest of the world.

In spite of the fact that the Mexican presidential election is getting almost no attention, Yahoo! News is reporting the election is too close to call. For those of you who are curious:

The extremely close vote raised fears of a political crisis if any of the main candidates challenge the results and call street protests.

Newspaper exit polls said Felipe Calderon of the ruling party and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the left-wing former mayor of Mexico City, were locked in such a tight race that it was impossible to declare a winner.

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The Federal Electoral Institute was expected to announce official results at around 11 p.m. (0400 GMT on Monday). If it is unable to call a winner, Mexico could face days or weeks of legal wrangling and protests similar to the fight that followed the U.S. presidential election in 2000.

yahoo news

Stay tuned


[edit on 2-7-2006 by DontTreadOnMe]

The Federal Electoral Institute was expected to announce official results at around 11 p.m. (0400 GMT on Monday). If it is unable to call a winner, Mexico could face days or weeks of legal wrangling and protests similar to the fight that followed the U.S. presidential election in 2000.

Sweet, maybe with some brilliant legal system wrangling, The high court of Mexico will declare Bush the winner. Immigration problem solved.

All kidding aside, what may be planeed for the US, Canada, and Mexico may be everyone's worst nightmare:
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Well, even if no one else posts, I plan on updating this thread.


As of this morning the election remained too close to call, setting in motion an electoral crisis. Both candidates declared victory.

The president of the Mexican Federal Electoral Institute said an official count would begin Wednesday, and a winner would be declared once it was complete.

At stake in the contest is whether the country remains on a conservative track and stays a firm U.S. ally or joins a trend that has brought several leftists to power in Latin America in recent years, weakening Washington's influence.

"This is about the struggle between social classes," said Miguel Abel Sanchez, a 55-year-old shopkeeper, after he said he cast his vote for the leftist candidate in the rural town of San Rafael, 40 kilometers, or 25 miles, outside Mexico City. "We cannot live in a rich country with an enormous number of people in extreme poverty."

The election was another milestone in the Mexican shift toward full democracy after more than seven decades of single-party, autocratic rule, which ended with the election six years ago of Fox, who was not permitted to run for another term.

Bot quotes from this source:
www.iht.com...

DTOM I understand your wanting to debate the issue, but isn't it a little too soon? They way the counting is going it may be a long time before we even know who the winner is. This seems like Germany all over too me hence my reluctance to discuss an outcome that may not turn into reality.

I will say this though I hope that those leaning toward communism do not win that could mean big trouble for the US.