Mexican bishops call for end to presidential election feud

Mexico City, Mexico, Sep 4, 2012 / 17:23 pm

The Bishops of Mexico have urged the country's political parties to accept a court decision upholding the results of the July 1 presidential election, won by the candidate Enrique Pena Nieto.

In a statement issued on August 30 and signed by the secretary general of the Mexican Bishops' Conference, Auxiliary Bishop Victor Rene Rodriguez Gomez of Texcoco, the prelates called on all parties to accept the unanimous ruling by the seven justices of the Electoral Court.

In their ruling, the justices rejected the arguments made by a coalition of political parties that included the Democratic Revolutionary Party, the Worker's Party and the Citizens' Movement, which supported presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. 

They had called for the election to be nullified, alleging voting irregularities and fraud.  The court found no basis for their allegations.

Alejandro Encinas of the Democratic Revolutionary Party -- the same party responsible for the legalization of abortion and homosexual unions in Mexico City -- said the coalition would appeal to international organizations to contest the ruling.

In their statement, the bishops recognized the work of the justices and said, "There is no doubt they addressed each and every one of the complaints made by individuals and institutions."

Therefore, they urged "all political parties to not only adhere to the decision by the electoral court, issued by the highest authority in electoral matters in the country, but also to ensure that they are focusing on the current situation Mexico is facing."

"May Holy Mary of Guadalupe accompany us on this new journey of challenges and decisions that our nation is now facing in political and social matters.  Pray for us and for Mexico," the bishops said.