COHA Report: Flirting with Danger: Mexican Presidential Campaign Grows Tense



Title: COHA Email PR
 

1250 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 1C, Washington, D.C. 20036
Phone: 202-223-4975 Fax: 202-223-4979
Email:
coha at coha.org Website: www.coha.org

Council On Hemispheric Affairs

           Monitoring Political, Economic and Diplomatic Issues Affecting the Western Hemisphere

COHA Report 06.13

Word Count: 3300

 

Flirting with Danger: Mexican Presidential Campaign Grows Tense

 
Analysis prepared by COHA Research Fellow Michael Lettieri
Tuesday, June 6, 2006


 

  • Mexico crackles with anxiety as the July 2 presidential vote approaches; growing bitterness threatens the country’s newfound stability

  • The seeds of deep political divisiveness planted during the campaign could present grave challenges for the incoming government

  • President Fox is largely to blame for the race’s polarization, as his constant interventions – some in violation of electoral regulations – have led opposition candidates to complain of an “election by the state” and have done grievous damage to the tattered remains of his reputation

  • Mounting social unrest has added to an already volatile mix, leading some to fear that a potential post-ballot dispute could quickly turn nasty and further compromise Mexico’s still unconsolidated democratic institutions and traditions

With just under a month to go until Mexico’s July 2 presidential election, deep uncertainties have taken hold of the country. As the top two contenders, left-leaning Andrés Manuel López Obrador of the Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD) and Felipe Calderón Hinojosa of the ruling conservative Partido de Acción Nacional (PAN), begin their final campaign drives, the two men appear to be in a virtual tie. Some polls suggest that Calderón may hold a wafer-thin advantage – a dramatic reversal of the situation as little as two months ago when López Obrador’s lead seemed insurmountable. Yet the numbers are still unsettled, and much will depend on the June 6 debate, where Calderón and López Obrador will square off on live television.

Full article...


The Council on Hemispheric Affairs, founded in 1975, is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan, tax-exempt research and information organization. It has been described on the Senate floor as being "one of the nation's most respected bodies of scholars and policy makers." For more information, please see our web page at http://www.coha.org/ or contact our Washington offices by phone (202) 223-4975, fax (202) 223-4979, or email coha at coha.org.

If you no longer wish to receive our press releases please send an email to coha at coha.org with "unsubscribe" as the subject.