Maybe they heard that heat, storms, and and the recession would have Americans looking elsewhere to get their fireworks fix, because as of this morning (July 4th), the sparks were certainly flying.
It’s hard to imagine after the relative calm on Election Sunday here in the Yucatán, where, despite record turnouts at the polls, the act of voting seemed to be carried out without major incident. Still, following the allegations of abnormalities in a large majority of the country’s voting locations, the Progressive Movement Party, headed by their candidate Andrés Miguel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) is calling again for a recount “vote by vote.”
Yes, again. In 2006, a razor thin victory for the National Action Party (PAN), brought about complaints of electoral fraud and even the naming of an alternative “legitimate government” headed by AMLO. This time, the election was not so close, he was second by almost 3 million votes, but the outcomes threaten to be similar, and in the process of investigation, bombs are going off.
There are allegations of tampering being leveled against the incoming Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) of having tampered with the elections as far out as five years ago, creating an image for their candidate Enrique Peña Nieto through purchased media coverage. Prediction polls, thought to have been unbiased and accurate within 2 to 3% have been proven off base by the results at the ballot box, some by 20 points or more. Vote buying has also been suggested.
To date, the rhetoric has been limited to the news outlets and perhaps isolated protests, but depending on how the process is handled, the situation could change. Reports say that the recount is underway to certify the returns. What the recount uncovers may well determine if this show is simply underway as a fireworks replacement for Mexico’s neighbor to the north or if it’s a sign of future instability for a nation that’s ready for some peace and quiet.
Protest photo used under Creative Commons by User:A1437053 and is available on wikipedia.org.
