Lopez Obrador Says He Will Suspend Protest for Army's Parade

[Freddie Stubbs]

By Thomas Black

Sept. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the second-place finisher in Mexico's July 2 presidential election, said he will ``permit'' the Mexican army to hold their traditional Independence Day parade in downtown Mexico City, where he and his supporters have camped out to protest on claims of vote fraud.

``We're going to permit the Mexican army to carry out its military parade as the Defense Ministry has programmed,'' Lopez Obrador said in a speech to his followers in the downtown plaza, known as the Zocalo, according to an e-mailed transcript.

Every year, Mexico's military parades through downtown Mexico City and holds a ceremony in the Zocalo on Sept. 16 to commemorate the country's independence war against Spain that began in 1810. As part of the tradition, the Mexican president holds a ceremony on the night of Sept. 15, called El Grito, to mark the anniversary when a Catholic priest named Miguel Hidalgo called Mexicans to arms against the Spanish.

Lopez Obrador told his followers he will hold festivities the day of Sept. 15 in the Zocalo and will give El Grito that night. He told his supporters they will lift the protest camps at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. the morning of Sept. 16 and ``we will seek a way to make room so they can carry out their parade.''

more: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aR532I1eukwY&refer=latin_america

[larrysh]

1. Not good....he's backing down already!!!!!

[maddezmom]

2. duplicate topic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2504280