JURIST - Paper Chase: Mexico presidential challenger vows continued protests until recount granted

[JURIST] Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador [campaign website, in Spanish; Wikipedia profile], the leftist candidate challenging the results of Mexico's disputed July 2 presidential election [JURIST report], said Sunday that his supporters would continue their protests [JURIST report] in Mexico City until September or later, unless the Federal Electoral Tribunal [official website, in Spanish] orders a full ballot-by-ballot recount of votes. After rejecting Lopez Obrador's request for a full recount [JURIST report] on August 5, the court ordered a partial recount at nine percent of the nation's polling stations. Lopez Obrador said Friday that inconsistencies evident from the partial recount [JURIST report] show enough errors in the tally that the electoral court should declare Lopez Obrador president-elect.

Lopez Obrador supporters have staged protests in Mexico City since the beginning of August, causing traffic jams and business delays at the headquarters of many major corporations located in the city, demanding a full recount of the votes. Lopez Obrador lost to conservative candidate Felipe Calderon [campaign website, in Spanish; Wikipedia profile] by just 0.6 percent of the vote [JURIST report], but Lopez Obrador supporters claim that fraudulent election practices [JURIST report] allowed Calderon to win the election. Election officials have not yet confirmed Calderon as the winner. AP has more.

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