Mexico President Elections Results: Enrique Pena Nieto Wins, But Will Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Concede?

With 90% of the precincts reported, former governor of the state of Mexico and Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI, in its Spanish initials) member Enrique Peña Nieto, is the projected winner with 37% of the vote against Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) member Andres Manuel López Obrador’s 32%, and PAN candidate Josefina Vásquez Mota’s 25%.

However, that hasn’t stopped López Obrador from refusing to concede the election, as he vows to wait for a final vote count amid allegations that Mexico “doesn’t want to return to the past” – a reference to Peña Nieto’s party, which governed the country for almost a century amid allegations of blatant corruption and economic stagnation.

López Obrador’s refusal to concede is a flashback to 2006, when the leftist leader refused to accept defeat in that year’s presidential race against incumbant President Felipe Calderón. López Obrador decried fraud and instigated a series of popular protests that paralyzed Mexico City for days. Many fear the trailing candidate may try to pull a similar stunt this year, as he had accused Peña Nieto of trying to buy the election even before the voting had started.

However, if the brief rally/demonstration López Obrador and his supporters staged at a Mexico City downtown hotel this morning is any indication, it is unlikely the candidate will attempt a similar strategy this year. 

According to reports, though López Obrador vowed to “wait before making any final positions” and claimed “there is no final word yet,” his speech was brief and simple, and his demeanor mellow, not combative.