The "permanent encampment"

The Zocalao in Mexico City, August 2006

Supporters of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador have vowed to remain in the tents, which occupy the Zocalao and numerous blocks of the surrounding streets, until AMLO is declared President. That seems unlikely to happen, given that the electoral tribunal is poised to declare Felipe Calderon the offical victor. Liberals in Mexico declare with conviction, however, that AMLO was the true winner, citing evidence of fraud. The nine per cent of ballot boxes that were recounted did show evidence of discrepencies, but the election tribunal refused to order a general recount. Since most casillas are unlikely to be re-opened, the scope of the potential fraud will probably never be known. Calderon's corporate supporters did bombard the electorate in the weeks before the election with negative ads portraying AMLO as another Hugo Chavez, in flagrant violation of strict laws banning this kind of private funding for electoral campaigns.

The newspaper La Jornada notes the irony of the United States' calls to Mexicans to "respect the institutions of democracy", given that American political institutions were themselves unable to determine an undisputed victor in our last two Presidential elections.