Mexico opposition party accuses ex-president of illegal election interference News
Mexico opposition party accuses ex-president of illegal election interference

[JURIST] The Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) [party website, in Spanish], Mexico's primary left-wing political party, is planning to file a complaint with federal prosecutors against former Mexican President Vicente Fox [BBC profile] for interfering in the country's 2006 presidential election on behalf of current Mexican President Felipe Calderon [official website; BBC profile], PRD leader Javier Gonzalez said Wednesday. The complaint will allege that Fox acted illegally by backing Calderon and opposing PRD candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador [BBC profile] with media advertisements and public remarks in violation of Mexican laws which prohibit the president from supporting or opposing presidential candidates. Last week in Washington, DC, Fox mentioned abuse of power charges against Obrador that were dropped in 2005 and indicated that he shared Calderon's victory, a move that the PRD claims amounts to a confession that he supported Calderon. After receiving the complaint, federal prosecutors will decide whether to open an investigation, file formal charges or dismiss the complaint against Fox.

Last year, Obrador and the PRD vehemently opposed the election results, which declared Calderon the victor by a slim margin, and accused Calderon of fraud. The Federal Electoral Tribunal [official website, in Spanish] rejected [JURIST report] most of Obrador's electoral fraud allegations [JURIST report] in late July after finding no evidence of systematic fraud. The PRD refuses to acknowledge Calderon as the rightful Mexican president, going so far as to hold an alternative inauguration ceremony [JURIST report] for Obrador. AP has more.