Mexico’s big ‘lie’

Re “Why hide Mexico’s ballots?” Opinion, Sept. 22

The best way to respond to this article is by paraphrasing Benjamin Disraeli’s famous phrase: “Lies, damn lies and blackmail.” The lie is that Mexico today has two elected presidents. Felipe Calderon has been declared the winner by Mexico’s independent and nonpartisan electoral institutions. The damned lies are that Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was proclaimed president by “millions of his followers.” The “National Democratic Convention” was attended by no more than 100,000 people, and his decision to proclaim himself president has been denounced by his own party and by prominent Mexicans who supported him in his campaign. And the blackmail: There is a tiny constituency surrounding Lopez Obrador that has shown itself to be impervious to facts or proof. Anything short of annulling the election is denounced as a conspiracy and used to justify measures that simply fly in the face of the give-and-take that all democracies demand.

This is why Calderon has called for the ballots to be preserved in order to foster the political confidence-building that this country requires to trigger the economic growth and social equality that Mexico so badly needs and that all Mexicans demand.

ARTURO SARUKHAN

Coordinator for International

Affairs, President-Elect’s Transition Team

San Francisco, Mexico