Fox victory ends 71 years of single-party rule in Mexico

July 3, 2000
Web posted at: 3:18 a.m. EDT (0718 GMT)

In this story: Fairest election ever Zedillo lauds 'great calm' Fox wants to jump-start the economy 'Make history today' RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

MEXICO CITY -- Mexico awoke to a new political landscape Monday, a day after opposition candidate Vicente Fox scored a stunning presidential election victory, ending the ruling party's 71-year lock on the presidency.

"I feel like I'm on top of the world," Fox, who also celebrated his 58th birthday Sunday, told cheering crowds outside his party's headquarters in Mexico City.

VIDEO Mexico City Bureau Chief Harris Whitbeck reports on the historic significance of Sunday's elections in Mexico QuickTime Play Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K     AUDIO Listen to Fox bid farewell to the PRI 578K/54 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Vicente Fox credits generations of Mexicans with his victory 850K/89 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Listen to outgoing President Ernesto Zedillo concede Fox's victory 217K/20 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, a member of a team of international observers in Mexico, expresses his confidence in the election 836K/36 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker, also in Mexico to observe the elections, says he will check complaints about possible fraud 786K/36 sec. AIFF or WAV sound     ElectionWatch A brief election overview FROM IFES: In-Depth special report     RESOURCES Search for stories related to the Mexico elections     MESSAGE BOARD Mexico elections     ALSO Brashness fueled Fox's political rise in Mexico    Facts on Mexico's election: Eligible voters: Mexicans over the age of 18 Number of registered voters: 58,789,209 Number of ballot stations: 113,424 Number of electoral districts: 300 Number of recognized parties: 11 Voting hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. on the Northwest Pacific coast

"Today I am more in love than ever with my country. Tomorrow, we have a lot -- a lot -- of work to do," he said

Outgoing President Ernesto Zedillo announced the success of the Fox campaign in a televised address to the nation.

"I congratulate all citizens who ... have voted for democracy. I commend all citizens who have been part of (the) electoral process," he said.

"The (Federal Electoral Institute) has just communicated that they have information that is preliminary but trustworthy to know who (the) next president is: Vicente Fox," said the man who set in place some of the changes that led to the democratic election.

"I talked by phone with Fox to let him know the government is absolutely ready to collaborate with him" Zedillo said, adding that he offered to oversee a "transparent way of government" until Fox takes office.

With 22 percent of the official count tallied, Fox had 47 percent and ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) candidate Francisco Labastida had 32 percent.

Labastida, who won the first-ever PRI primary to run as the party's candidate, said, "the citizens made a decision we should all respect. I will set an example."

Labastida, who appeared to have tears in his eyes, did not utter the name of the man who dealt the PRI its first presidential defeat in its more than seven decades.

"Our party is alive and will remain alive, and will know how to recover, with the unity of all its members, the trust of the majority," Labastida said.

The presidential election was the most competitive in Mexico's history, and despite hundreds of allegations of pressure and vote-buying, the elections were widely seen as Mexico's fairest ever.

Earlier exit polls also showed the PRI losing in three key local races -- the mayor of Mexico City and the governorships of Guanajuanto and Morelos.

National authorities acted this year to assure voters that they would not see the kind of fraud that many observers say twisted election outcomes in the past.

Officials at the independent IFE acted to ease concerns of Mexicans worried that the PRI might resort to dirty tricks to assure a victory. Throughout the campaign, IFE, PRI leaders and Zedillo have said Sunday's vote would be the cleanest election in Mexico's modern history.

IFE Executive Secretary Fernando Zertuche told reporters on Thursday that there was no way the institute's computer system tabulating the results would crash or could be hacked. In the 1988 presidential election, the computer crashed during counting.

The president of IFE, Jose Woldenberg, said in a statement that 99.99 percent of the nation's 113,423 voting stations functioned normally, marking the highest percentage in Mexico's history.

After casting his vote Sunday, Zedillo said, "There's great participation, there's great enthusiasm and there's a great calm in the country... It will strengthen our democracy, and that will allow the country to continue forward."

For the first time in 71 years, the PRI did not dominate the Mexican political landscape. The party has controlled the presidency since creation of the office in 1929.

Zedillo, of the PRI, has helped create new election guidelines for candidates running for local and regional posts, and for the five candidates trying to succeed him as president. Mexican presidents are elected for one six-year term.

Fox, a former Coca-Cola executive and rancher, was elected governor of central Guanajuato state in 1995.

He pledged to halt corruption, jump-start the economy with foreign investment and jobs programs and nearly double spending for public education. He espouses an agreement with the United States that would let workers cross the border freely.

Labastida ran a largely traditional campaign after a landslide victory in the party's first presidential primary in November.

He promised more aid for the countryside, more resources for public education and more attention to the poor. Labastida, a former governor of Sinaloa state, was a top Cabinet secretary before the campaign and said he would continue many of Zedillo's policies.

The Fox campaign on Saturday released a 200-page list of complaints that Fox spokeswoman Marta Sahagun said demonstrated that the elections "are already tainted."

Cirilo Mejia, a 66-year-old lottery ticket salesman, said PRI gift-giving had been more widespread than ever this year -- and that suited him just fine.

"They gave me lots of presents: Pens, caps, even a blanket. I'm going to vote for the one they recommended -- Labastida," he said, adding that "they" were government leaders.

Sunday's vote was the first in more than a century in which the outcome wasn't clear beforehand. Despite hundreds of allegations of pressure and vote-buying, the elections were widely seen as Mexico's fairest ever.

But in Mexico the PRI is almost synonymous with the government -- and even the nation itself -- for millions of supporters and detractors alike.

Turnout across the nation was extraordinarily high -- higher than some people expected -- for what was touted as the republic's closest presidential contest during its most democratic election.

Fox's three-year campaign focused on convincing voters that only a changing of the presidential guard would make Mexico fully democratic. That campaign struck a chord.

"We want change," physician Modesto de la Rosa said Sunday after casting his ballot in Mexico City. "Only the ignorant (and) the unconscious are voting for Labastida. We want the best for the country. The only real change is with Fox."

Mexico City Bureau Chief Harris Whitbeck, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Campaign site of Vicente Fox
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