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Calderón is Legitimate President, Say Mexicans
- Many adults in Mexico believe there is no controversy over the authority of their new head of state, according to a poll by Ulises Beltrán y Asociados published in La Crónica de Hoy. 82 per cent of respondents think Felipe Calderón is the Latin American country's legitimate president.
Mexican voters chose their new president on Jul. 2. Official results placed Calderón of the National Action Party (PAN) as the winner with 36.68 per cent of all cast ballots, followed by Andrés Manuel López Obrador of the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) with 36.11 per cent.
López Obrador filed an unsuccessful legal challenge to the election result, alleging widespread fraud. European Union (EU) election monitors did not report any irregularities in the vote count. The PRD candidate publicly refers to himself as "Mexico's legitimate president."
At midnight on Dec. 1, Calderón and outgoing head of state Vicente Fox appeared together inside the presidential residence. In an unprecedented act, a voice declared Calderón as the new head of state, as Fox gave the presidential sash to a military cadet, who then presented it to Calderón.
Later in the day, Calderón appeared before Congress, where he recited the presidential oath, surrounded by fellow PAN members. In his first speech as president, Calderón discussed his social policies, saying, "Reducing extreme poverty is one of the priorities of my government, and both society as a whole and the authorities must do more to help those who need it most."
Polling Data
Do you think Felipe Calderón is Mexico's legitimate president?
Yes | 82% |
No | 10% |
Not sure | 8% |
Source: Ulises Beltrán y Asociados / La Crónica de Hoy
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 400 Mexican adults, conducted on Nov. 28 and Nov. 29, 2006. Margin of error is 5 per cent.