News Summary for July 5th, 2010

More than 30 million Mexicans went to the polls in 14 states to elect governors, mayors and local deputies… Most areas were calm but elections were marred by drug-related violence in several of states…

Lets see the results: As of midnight, exit polls and quick counts were pointing to opposition wins by the PAN and PRD coalitions in Oaxaca, Puebla and Sinaloa… This information was relayed on national television stations…
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Results were contrasting in Tlaxcala and Durango, both the PRI and the opposition alliance were claiming victory in the governor’s race in those states… As of midnight, it appears that the PRI won Tlaxcala but in Durango the vote count was close, although favoring by a small margin the PRI.
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It appeared that there was more agreement with regard to PRI victories in Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Hidalgo, Quintana Roo, Veracruz, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas…
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PRI national leader Beatriz Paredes confirmed those results… She said her party would file complaints against PAN and PRD presidents, César Nava and Jesús Ortega, respectively for giving voting figures from the Oaxaca election before it was legally valid to do so…
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Preliminary vote counting programs were being conducted in each state where elections were held… The formal vote count would begin on Wednesday…
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Unfortunately, violence affected Veracruz and Chihuahua with executions and assassinations… Eleven people were killed in Chihuahua alone…
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In Oaxaca, Puebla, Hidalgo and Durango dozens of people were detained in connection to diverse situations that sparked tension throughout the day… Accusations flew among parties…
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In Tamaulipas, however, elections took place in relative normalcy although voter turnout was low… Egidio Torre Cantú, the candidate who took over after his brother was murdered last week, voted wearing a bullet-proof vest and the booth where he cast his vote was surrounded by federal police agents…

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The National Defense Secretariat said it would review a recommendation it received from the National Human Rights Commission with regard to the deaths of minors Martín and Brayan Almanza Salazar in an incident involving army troops and hired gunmen, before deciding whether it would accept it…

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Aid was slow in reaching 30,000 people affected by the heavy rains unleashed by tropical storm Alex in Nuevo León…

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Bad weather continued to affect other areas of the country… In Michoacán rains forced 70 families in Uruapan and Cotija out of their homes…
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