Originally published Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Leftist leader gains in Mexico
Leftist firebrand Andrés Manuel López Obrador appeared to cement his hold over Mexico's main opposition party Monday after a key...
Los Angeles Times
MEXICO CITY — Leftist firebrand Andrés Manuel López Obrador appeared to cement his hold over Mexico's main opposition party Monday after a key ally declared himself the winner of a bitterly fought leadership race.
Alejandro Encinas, a former deputy to López Obrador, claimed victory in the campaign to be president of the left-leaning Democratic Revolution Party, based on samplings of Sunday's vote conducted by two polling companies hired by the party.
The contest pitted adherents of López Obrador's confrontational style of politics over moderates represented by Encinas' main rival, former federal lawmaker Jesus Ortega.
Ortega said he was waiting for the party's final tabulation, expected Wednesday. The "quick counts" gave margins of four and eight percentage points for Encinas, who succeeded López Obrador as mayor of Mexico City.
But Mexico's media widely reported that Encinas had won the post.
The outcome could be bad news for President Felipe Calderón and his conservative government. Analysts said the populist López Obrador probably will assume a more strident posture, especially in opposition to possible reform of the nation's energy industry.
"We are going to see a much more confrontational line with the government of Felipe Calderón," said Alfonso Zarate, a political analyst. López Obrador "has not only the social muscle but the party apparatus, too."
López Obrador has threatened to have his supporters block oil wells, roads and airports to head off any reforms that would allow private investment in the state-owned oil company, Pemex, a change proponents say could boost Mexico's reserves.
Calderón has yet to propose a detailed energy plan but has suggested that changes are needed to tap new sources in the deeper waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
López Obrador summoned followers to Mexico City today to demonstrate against the possibility of privatizing Pemex. The event, planned weeks ago, coincides with the 70th anniversary of Mexico's decision to nationalize oil holdings.
The outcome of Sunday's vote within the Democratic Revolution Party, known by its initials in Spanish as the PRD, was clouded by scattered clashes between competing camps and numerous reports of vote manipulation.
Nonetheless, party officials overseeing the balloting declared that most problems were relatively minor and that the final results, when announced, would be considered valid.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Tight Senate vote launches health care over hurdle
Awaiting daughter's birth, astronaut busy on spacewalk
Anti-Taliban militias arise in Afghanistan
China coal mine blast death toll jumps to 87
Iran gets ready for military exercises

LA Galaxy's David Beckham
Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham talks about the upcoming MLS Cup final during after a team practice.
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
How to tell your office you're gravely ill
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Craigslist adoption ad: A plea by young mother-to-be? A scam?
- Italian lead prosecutor argues Knox motive was hatred
- Italian prosecutors request life sentence for UW student
- Tugboat sinks on Seattle's waterfront
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Man shot in chest on E. Union Street in Capitol Hill
- Washington state wines make annual best-of list
- Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
- Mariners Blog | A Mariners-Tigers swap makes a whole lot of sense for both teams
- Senate vote clears hurdle
236 - Tight Senate vote launches health care over hurdle
119 - Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
118 - Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
115 - Palin excitement builds in Tri-Cities
115 - Prosecutor requests life in prison for Amanda Knox
87 - Cutting through breast-cancer confusion
86 - Game thread
70 - New York terror trials will restore faith in rule of law
52 - Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
47
- Washington state wines make annual best-of list
- Nonprofits get creative using Twitter and Facebook to make donation easier
- It's possible to recover a life lost to hoarding
- Lynnwood is reinventing itself — again
- Great places to cross-country ski for free (or almost) in the Methow
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Recipes: Sesame Pork Roast, Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce and more
- Banff: powder, peaks & purity
- 175 foster kids in Washington get 'forever families'





