Mexico: election dispute threatens breakup of PRD

Within 24 hours of the vote, accusations of electoral fraudintimidation of voters, stealing and stuffing of ballots boxes, interfering with counting and the likewere made by representatives of the partys two rival factions: the NL (New Left), and the UL (United Left) or Encinistas, whose candidate, former Mexico City mayor Alejandro Encinas Rodríguez, is close to the PRDs 2006 presidential candidate, Andres Manuel López Obrador. Tensions between the two factions sharpened quickly after the vote, fueling confusion about what actually happened and who was responsible.

On March 17, two polling firmsMitovsky and Instituto del Mercadotecnianamed Encinas the winner by 5 to 8 percentage points, pending a final count. Nonetheless, Encinas made formal complaints to the partys Electoral Commission of voter fraud perpetrated for the benefit of Jesús Ortega Martínez, the opposition NL candidate. Despite the fact that Encinas had been declared the winner, Encinass UL demanded that Ortega agree to a vote by vote recount in order to remove any doubts about the outcome.

Specifically, Encinas supporters reported that several ballot boxes had not been installed at polling places and that others had been stolen and even destroyed, most notably in Oaxaca state. It appeared that in several states more ballots were returned than were distributed in the first place. PRD Electoral Commission member Edmundo Casillas also reported that media representatives and international observers had witnessed NL members purchasing votes with food and other household necessities in the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz.

Read More