By John-Henry Westen
MEXICO CITY, July 6, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-life groups in Mexico are celebrating today the election of Felipe Calderon as the new President of Mexico. Calderon, from the ruling National Action Party (PAN), was until recently thought to be a long-shot against socialist Manuel Lopez Obrador of the Democratic Revolution Party which supports abortion.
Initial results from Sunday’s elections were reported July 3, but with the extreme closeness of the vote a recount was demanded immediately by Obrador. The recount confirmed Calderon as the winner. The official recount had Calderon coming away with just over 236,000 votes more than Obrador in an election where over 41 million votes were cast.
Obrador is still unwilling to accept defeat and is now clamouring for a ballot-by-ballot recount.
The Inter Press Service News Agency described Calderon saying: “He is known to be a devout, conservative Catholic, attending daily mass, and has not shied from acknowledging his stances against abortion, condom use, homosexual relations and euthanasia.”
In an interview with the Knight Ridder news service earlier this year Calderon said “On the subject of abortion, I am pro-life, and I also see that it is a matter clearly regulated by law, and most of all in judicial terms well settled.”
Calderon, a relatively young (43) Harvard grad with three children all under 10, and a wife who is also a PAN legislator did not shy away from his faith during the elections. “I am a man of convictions who wants what is best for his children and those of all Mexicans,” he said during the campaign.