News Summary for July 6th, 2010

++ The right-wing-left-wing coalition led by the PAN and the PRD knocked the PRI out of power after 80 years of rule in Oaxaca, Puebla and Sinaloa with stunning electoral victories on Sunday.

In Oaxaca, after 92.13 percent of votes had been counted, PAN-PRD-PT and Convergencia candidate Gabino Cué was the winner with 50.1 percent of ballots over the 41.9 percent gained by his PRI rival Eviel Pérez Magaña.

In Puebla, the PAN-PRD-New Alliance and Convergencia candidate, Rafael Moreno Valle, had 52.4 percent of votes, a more than 10-point advantage over PRI candidate, Javier López Zavala, who took 41.5 per cent of ballots.

The race was closer in Sinaloa, where PAN-PRD-PT and Convergencia coalition candidate Mario López Valdez, earned nearly 52 percent of balloting while his PRI rival Jesús Vizcarra received 46.2 percent of votes.

++ Despite those losses the PRI recovered power in Aguascalientes and Tlaxcala, held by the PAN, and in Zacatecas, that had been under PRD government for several administrations.

The PRI held on to Chihuahua, Hidalgo, Tamaulipas and Quintana Roo… Results were still unclear in Durango and Veracruz, with very tight races.

++ The Interior Secretariat described electionday as safe and peaceful despite some incidents of focalized violence and acknowledged the participation of millions of Mexicans who turned out to vote.

++ PRI president Beatriz Paredes said her party had obtained overwhelming triumphs in the elections, ratifying it as the country’s top political force.

++ Meanwhile PRD leader Jesús Ortega said that the alliances forged with the PAN fulfilled with the goal of defeating longtime hold over power, prove that the PRI was not invincible and creating true competition among parties… Ortega said that his party would now move forward to negotiate an alliance for elections next year in the State of Mexico which political observers say could be a bellwether state for the 2012 presidential race. In a statement made later on in the day Cesar Nava agreed that the PAN would negotiate with the PRD.

++ President Felipe Calderón congratulated winners in governors’ races in Oaxaca, Puebla, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Quintana Roo, Tlaxcala and Tamaulipas.

++ The Supreme Court gave its backing to the closing down of the formerly state-run Compañía de Luz y Fuerza del Centro and denied legal protection – an amparo -- to the Mexican Electricians Union.

++ Nuevo León continued suffered the devastating effects of tropical storm Alex such as lack of drinking water… Unscrupulous salesmen hiked up bottled water prices to the dismay of residents and there were huge traffic jams as well.