Mexico City – Politicians and media leaders appealed for calm in Mexico’s capital Wednesday, warning that a bitter split between the left and right after disputed presidential elections could grow more serious.
Scuffles, vandalism and subterfuge have Mexico City near its boiling point as supporters of leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador angrily push their claims that vote fraud helped conservative Felipe Calderon win the July 2 vote.
Calderon was harassed Tuesday by a knot of leftists who banged on his car and screamed “pig” at him. In turn, the conservative and his staff touted support Wednesday from a purported union “leader” who doesn’t appear to hold any post.
Calderon’s campaign introduced Gaston Saenz as a top adviser of the Electrical Workers Union and stood by smiling when Saenz called the elections clean, honest and democratic.
But union chief of staff Enrique Bernal later said Saenz was a retired member of the union and that he currently held no post nor spoke for the group.
Earlier Wednesday, a pro-Lopez Obrador art display was vandalized at a downtown park, where about three dozen canvases bearing cartoons and drawings were slashed. Local media also reported that cars bearing bumper stickers in favor of both candidates had been vandalized.
“We shouldn’t get into a situation of violence,” said Enrique Cuevas, the host of a news program for the Formato 21 radio station. “We are falling to a low political level that isn’t going to lead us anywhere.”
An official tally gave Calderon a 244,000-vote advantage, a margin of less than 0.6 percent of the total vote.
