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After a tally showed that the two top candidates were separated by 243,000 votes, the election has exposed deep divides in society, along class and regional lines. The voting has put the strength of the young democracy to its toughest test.
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Supporters of Mr. Calderón's leftist rival, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, girded for fights in court and on the streets, beginning with a rally scheduled for Saturday. Mr. Calderón's supporters and allies called on Mr. López Obrador to concede defeat for the good of the country.
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The European Union said Friday that there was no evidence of major fraud or irregularity in the election, Reuters reported. Election observers, who visited a third of the country's 300 electoral districts during voting last Sunday, "did not report incidents or irregularities that could cloud the transparency of the counting process or affect the results," said Ignacio Salafranca, head of the European Union team.
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Juan Huerta, 55, who works at a newsstand near a luxury department store, said he thought that the election was riddled with fraud. Mr. Huerta said he tried to cast a ballot for Mr. López Obrador, but was told that rain had soaked all the ballots. "This is a fraud against the people," he said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/08/world/americas/08mexico.html?hp&ex=1152331200&en=a502c5e6bc285f23&ei=5094&partner=homepage