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Populist Lopez Obrador Demands Full Vote Recount in Mexico's
Closest-Ever Presidential Race
Troops Home Fast: Hundreds Begin Nationwide Hunger Strike
to Protest War as Ex-Soldier Charged in Iraq Rape, Killing
Populist Lopez Obrador Demands Full Vote Recount
in Mexico's Closest-Ever Presidential Race
Populist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and conservative
Felipe Calderon both claim victory in Mexico's closest-ever
presidential race. Lopez Obrador is now calling for a full
recount after charges of voter fraud and manipulation. We
go to Mexico City to get a report and host a roundtable discussion
on the election. The party of populist candidate Andres Manuel
Lopez Obrador is demanding a full, vote-by-vote recount in
Mexico's closest-ever presidential race.
A preliminary count of the votes cast in Sunday's election
gave a slim lead to conservative candidate Felipe Calderon.
But federal election officials acknowledged Tuesday that more
than three million ballots - or eight percent of the total
- remain uncounted. In the latest tally, Calderon leads Lopez
Obrador by just over 0.6 of a percentage point, meaning the
race is still too close to call.
On election night, both of Mexico's major television networks
said their exit polls showed a statistical tie. Two hours
later both candidates claimed victory in Mexico City.
The new election results were released on Tuesday after Lopez
Obrador made charges of fraud and manipulation of the vote.
His party is calling for a full recount of all 41 million
votes claiming that some voting places were counted twice
while others weren't counted at all. Although a formal recount
will begin today, electoral authorities will only be required
to re-check tallies from each ballot box.
Lopez Obrador has been running on a progressive platform
calling for greater aid to the poor; free medical care and
food subsidies for the elderly; the rewriting of NAFTA, the
North American Free Trade Agreement; and the end to the further
privatization of the country's oil and gas industries. Meanwhile
Felipe Calderon has received the strong backing of the business
community.
- David Brooks, U.S. Bureau Chief for Mexican Daily newspaper
La
Jornada.
- John Ross, a regular contributor to the Nation, Counterpunch
and La Jornada. He has also written three books chronicling
the Zapitista movement in Mexico. His latest is "Making
Another World Possible: Zapatista Chronicle 2000-2006"
to be published by Nation Books in October 2006. His most
recent article about the Mexico elections is on the Nation.com
website and is titled "Disputed
Election Raises Tensions in Mexico."
- George Grayson, professor of Government at the College
of William and Mary. He also writes a regular column for
"Milenio Semanal,"
a weekly magazine in Mexico. Professor Grayson's latest
book is about presidential contender, Andrés Manuel
López Obrador and is titled "Mesías Mexicano,"
- in English, "Mexican Messiah."
Troops Home Fast: Hundreds Begin Nationwide Hunger
Strike to Protest War as Ex-Soldier Charged in Iraq Rape,
Killing
A former U.S. soldier was arrested Monday on charges of
raping an Iraqi woman and killing her and three family members.
This comes as hundreds of people around the country begin
fasts to protest the war in Iraq. We speak with an Iraq war
vet who was arrested protesting war on July 4th and an Iraqi
blogger - both are participating in the fast.
On Monday, a former soldier was arrested on charges of raping
an Iraqi woman and killing her and three family members. Prosecutors
charge that four months ago Steven Green walked into a house
in the town of Mahmudiyah, killed three family members, and
that he and another soldier raped a woman named Abeer Qasim
Hamza. The age of the rape victim is unclear though the mayor
of Mahmudiyah said she was 15 years old. These latest charges
come on the heels of a number of investigations into U.S.-led
civilian atrocities in Iraq.
Meanwhile thousands of protestors gathered across the nation
yesterday to protest the on-going war in Iraq. One of the
largest demonstrations took place in Washington D.C and was
organized by the anti-war group Code Pink. Code Pink also
launched a nationwide fast to demand an end to the war. The
fasters will stay in front of the White House every day until
August 14th, when they move the hunger strike next to President
Bush's vacation ranch in Crawford, Texas.
- Raed Jarrar, an Iraqi blogger and architect. His blog
is titled "Raed
in the Middle". He is also the Iraq Project director
for Global Exchange. He is participating in the fast to
end the war.
- Geoffrey Millard, an Iraq War veteran who served for
13 months. He was arrested on Tuesday during the antiwar
protest in Washington D.C. He is participating in the fast
to end the war.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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