Mexican opposition demands vote recount

The leftist candidate who was defeated in Mexico’s presidential election earlier this month has launched a massive protest to demand a vote recount. Supporters of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador have set up camps in the vast Zocalo square and through the city’s main roads as part of a campaign of civil disobedience to protest against alleged fraud in the July 2 ballot.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said: “I suggest we stay here day and night until the votes are counted and we Mexicans get what we deserve, a legally-elected president.”

Mexico has been deadlocked since the election which saw the ruling conservative’s Felipe Calderon beat Lopez Obrador by a razor-thin margin. He insists no recount is needed: “We will not allow these millions of votes to be cancelled by populist speeches and lack of reason. That would not only jeopardise democracy but also the future of this country.”

Mexico’s electoral court has until August 31 to decide whether or not to order a recount.

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