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DE RUEHME #3832/01 1921815
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R 111815Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2090
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 1201
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70983
2006-07-11 18:15:00
06MEXICO3832
Embassy Mexico
UNCLASSIFIED
06MEXICO3747
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DE RUEHME #3832/01 1921815
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R 111815Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2090
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RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 1201
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR MX
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MEXICO 003832 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR MX
SUBJECT: AMLO TAKES TO THE STAGE: HOLDS FIRST MEETING WITH 
SUPPORTERS  
REF: A. A) MEXICO 3747 
 
     ¶B. B) MEXICO 3422 
 
Summary 
 
¶1. Presidential candidate for the Coalition for the Good of 
All, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), held his first 
post-electoral "informative meeting" in Mexico's central 
plaza, the Zocalo, on Saturday, July 8.  AMLO used the venue 
to express his concerns with the election process and the 
Federal Electoral Institute's (IFE) alleged lack of 
objectivity.  He also presented some of the facts supporting 
his challenge of the results and called on supporters around 
the country to rally around him through non-violent protest 
and join him in Mexico City for the next "informative 
meeting," called for Sunday, July 16.  By Sunday evening, 
AMLO's representative before the IFE, Horacio Duarte, had 
filed the first set of appeals before the Electoral Tribunal 
(TEPJF), the total number of which will exceed 50,000 
nationwide.  End Summary. 
 
Rally Call 
 
¶2. On Thursday, July 6, hours before the IFE finished its 
retabulation of the July 2 election, AMLO held a news 
conference to announce that he was not accepting the IFE's 
results and would contest them with the TEPJF.  He called 
supporters to an "informative meeting" to be held at Mexico 
City's Zocalo on Saturday, July 8, at 5:00 pm (ref A). 
Supporters began gathering at 1:00 pm Saturday and the crowd 
grew to between 150,000 and 280,000, depending upon the 
source, by the time AMLO made his way to the stage.  Once 
there, AMLO thanked supporters for defending his alternative 
project for the nation, "capable of creating the necessary 
legal and economic reforms, a more dignified political 
system, better social conditions, and less inequality and 
more justice."  He also told them that it was no longer 
simply about him and the Presidency, but that it was about 
the "fundamental will to change the country" - asking 
supporters to continue defending the project to the bitter 
end. 
 
Enemies of Democracy 
 
¶3. AMLO eventually stepped back into familiar territory, 
reminding those gathered that the attacks against him had 
started long ago during last year's desafuero process, 
culminating during the campaign's "dirty war" and now again 
as the decision heads to the TEPJF.  He accused his opponents 
of buying radio and television space to defame him publicly, 
overspending by millions of dollars, and utilizing government 
institutions and public resources to support their candidate. 
 AMLO called President Fox a "traitor to democracy" for 
dedicating so much time to attacking his candidacy and for 
using democratic advances to win in 2000, only to betray 
those same democratic advances in 2006.  AMLO also attacked 
the IFE for allegedly not acting impartially, accusing it of 
manipulating the electoral computing system and the 
dissemination of information. 
 
¶4. AMLO assured his supporters he had sufficient evidence to 
prove these accusations and more, and that on Sunday, July 9, 
he would officially challenge the election before the TEPJF. 
He told supporters he would ask the Tribunal to "clean up the 
elections" and count each vote in every voting booth.  He 
explained that during the retabulation process, numerous 
irregularities were found in those voting booths that they 
had been allowed to recount, and that he had evidence to 
prove that similar irregularities existed in many more.  He 
also said he will appeal to the Supreme Court to investigate 
incidents that constitute a "violation of the public vote and 
illegality of the entire electoral process."  AMLO assured 
the crowd that he was victorious on July 2 and that a full 
vote count will overturn IFE's results.  He called on the 
Tribunal to be mindful of the historic decision it is about 
to make, and to the military to guard the electoral district 
offices so no one can tamper with the ballots.  He even 
called on radio and television stations to continue informing 
the public on what is happening and not to concede to 
pressure from the federal government and other political 
adversaries. 
 
Next Steps 
 
¶5. AMLO closed by calling supporters to assist in a "national 
march for democracy" starting Wednesday, July 12.  He asked 
political party leaders, congressional candidates, governors, 
municipal presidents and local representatives, artists, 
intellectuals and writers to help organize groups in all of 
Mexico's 300 electoral districts, to march toward Mexico 
 
MEXICO 00003832  002 OF 002 
 
 
City.  These groups will convene in Mexico City on Sunday, 
July 16, for a march into the Zocalo, where AMLO plans to 
host his second "informative meeting."  He called on 
supporters to make this march peaceful and warned them not to 
be provoked into violence by their enemies.  He also stated 
that he did not want these marches to affect other citizens 
and asked his supporters to avoid closing down highways or 
city streets.  AMLO also asked his supporters to each bring 
ten more people to attend next Sunday's meeting.  In addition 
to the national marches, AMLO also called for volunteers to 
form regional and local committees to inform the public on 
what is happening and counterattack his adversaries' own 
information strategies, which he stated were being used to 
misinform and confuse the public.  Finally, he asked 
supporters to remain united and confident and to remember 
that this is more about preventing Mexico's democratic 
regression than about the plight of one man. 
 
Misleading Claims 
 
¶6.  In a press conference 7/10 AMLO showed videotapes that 
allegedly supported his allegations of malfeasance in the 
elections -- but the charges were quickly rebutted.  In one, 
an individual is seen feeding several ballots into the ballot 
box for deputies -- but the individual quickly explained that 
he was simply putting incorrectly deposited ballots in the 
correct box during the initial tabulation, and the PRD 
representative at the balloting site reportedly concurred 
with this action.  In another, voting officials argue with 
the PRD representative and refuse to open a disputed voting 
box to count the votes.  What the tape doesn't show, 
according to PAN officials, is that the voting box was 
finally opened and the PAN won an additional 200 votes. 
 
Comment 
 
¶7. Poloff spoke to a number of AMLO campaign contacts 
Saturday evening, all of whom told us that AMLO's strategy 
was two-fold.  On the one hand, he sought to challenge the 
election and appeal to the Tribunal within the framework of 
the law, and on the other hand, to pressure the Tribunal 
through a "show of force" in the same way he pressured 
politicians and the Fox administration to drop the charges 
against him during last year's desafuero process (intended to 
remove AMLO's political immunity and bar him from running for 
President).  Many of the contacts, however, did not appear to 
be convinced the strategy would work again this time, citing 
the difference between the Tribunal's position and that of 
politicians.  By Sunday evening, AMLO had completed the first 
step in both strategies as Horacio Duarte presented the first 
tranche of challenges to Mexico City's 15th Electoral 
District.  In addition to the formal challenge of the results 
in specific ballot boxes, the Coalition also formulated a 
800-page document of "abstract causes" for AMLO's defeat. 
AMLO is also reportedly planning recourse to the Supreme 
Court although the Constitution and precedent clearly 
establish the TEPJF as the final arbiter of the elections. 
End Comment. 
 
 
Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity 
 
GARZA