Mexico's Pena Nieto confirmed president-elect, rival defiant

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's electoral tribunal officially named Enrique Pena Nieto as president-elect on Friday, clearing the way for him to focus on planned economic reforms, but his rival refused to accept defeat and held out the possibility of further protests.

The tribunal threw out an attempt to overturn his win by leftist leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who had accused Pena Nieto of laundering money and buying votes in the July election. Centrist Pena Nieto, 46, will be sworn in on December 1.

But Lopez Obrador, whose supporters blocked many of Mexico City's main thoroughfares for weeks after he narrowly lost the 2006 election, rejected the judges' decision.

"I cannot accept the tribunal's ruling, which has declared the presidential election valid," he told reporters, calling for a rally in Mexico City's main square on September 9.

"Then we will determine what happens next."

Lopez Obrador did not specify the steps he was considering but his words recalled the disruptive protests of 2006.

"Civil disobedience is an honorable duty when directed against the thieves of the hope and happiness of the people," he said.

Lopez Obrador, a former mayor of Mexico City, accused Pena Nieto and his Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) of buying 5 million votes with illegal funding and plying voters with presents ranging from supermarket gift cards to fertilizer, cement and livestock.

The delay in endorsing the July 1 election result has meant Pena Nieto has had to hold back on his plans to cut deals in Congress over economic reforms which analysts say are vital to boost growth in Latin America's No. 2 economy.

Nomura analyst Benito Berber said he did not expect mass protests, 2006-style, given that Lopez Obrador had so far taken a more moderate tone than at the last election.

The tribunal ruling would help to ease concerns about the legitimacy of the PRI victory but did not mean an automatic green light for wholesale reform given Pena Nieto's plans to first address corruption and clean government, he added.

"The coming weeks will be key for the outlook for reforms because Pena Nieto will likely name his cabinet (sometime in November) and establish the priorities for the reform agenda," Berber said in a note to clients.

(Additional reporting by Miguel Gutierrez; Writing by Krista Hughes; Editing by Simon Gardner and Jackie Frank)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mexicos-pena-nieto-confirmed-president-elect-rival-defiant-195147597.html

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