Thursday, August 10, 2006 - Page updated at 12:00 AM
Minor shifts reported in Mexico recount
By Laurence Iliff
The Dallas Morning News
MEXICO CITY — Electoral authorities began a partial recount Wednesday in the disputed July 2 presidential election as supporters of leftist candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador protested outside bank buildings, including U.S.-owned Banamex.
Ballots are being recounted in electoral districts around the nation under the watchful eye of Federal Electoral Tribunal judges and party observers. Media reports said that in early counting there were minor shifts in the vote tally, which has López Obrador trailing by 244,000 votes.
Official numbers will not be disclosed until the recount is completed, by Sunday at the latest.
López Obrador, a self-styled champion of the poor, has said fraud and mathematical errors warrant a complete recount of the 133,000 polling stations. But the tribunal ruled Saturday that only about 12,000 had significant discrepancies. That represents about 9 percent of voting stations.
Ricardo Monreal, a top aide to López Obrador, said Wednesday the early recount was unearthing serious problems in the July 2 balloting.
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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003187713_mexico10.html