Mexico Presidential Election Ballots Found in Dump

Raw Story
Jul. 06, 2006

As the apparent victor in Mexico's presidential election switched back and forth Thursday morning, ballots were found in two garbage dumps, RAW STORY has learned. The news was accompanied by various wire reports showing that left wing candidate Andr?s Manuel L?pez Obrador had rejected findings that his opponent Felipe Calder?n was the winner.

Although official tallies indicated a victory for Calder?n of 0.3%, the Mexican newspaper El Universal reported that 10 ballot boxes and a polling station report were found in a garbage dump in a poor neighbourhood in Mexico City, according to Reuters. The ballots came from three precincts in the city of Nezahuacoyotl, a L?pez Obrador stronghold according to the website Narco News.

In another indication of electoral fraud, ballots were also found in a second garbage dump in the city of Xalapa, the capital of the Mexican State of Veracruz. Parts of the Spanish language report were translated by a contributor to a discussion board at the website Democratic Underground.

A State Department spokesman had earlier declared that "Mexico has a vibrant and dynamic democracy and Mexican institutions are fully capable of dealing with any -- you know, with any irregularities and ensuring the principles of rule of law and transparency."