Mexico election: AMLO stuns his closest supporters

Andrés Manuel López Obrador stunned even his closest supporters when he charged that many of his own party's poll watchers had been "bribed" to look the other way as "massive fraud" was committed against him. When asked by a reporter for proof, AMLO admitted that he had none. He said, however, that if his opposition could buy votes he couldn't see why they hadn't bought his own party members' loyalty as well. That loyalty is beginning to slowly erode.

As he spoke, Manuel Comacho Solís and Horacio Duarte looked on "as flashes of resignation and incredulity passed over their faces". Camacho Solís is the campaign's communication coordinator and has been considered AMLO's closest advisor. He was an old time PRIista who rose quite high in the Salinas government. He quit the PRI when he was passed over for the presidential candidacy in favor of Donaldo Colosio, who was subsequently shot dead, and then Ernesto Zedillo, who was elected in 1994.
That's Camacho on the far left, Duarte in the middle.

Duarte is the PRD's representative to the IFE, the federal election commission. Both men were apparently stunned as AMLO declared that his loyal supporters and party workers were not so loyal after all. But their reaction paled before those of many of AMLO's supporters who waited outside the press conference. These people have worked hard for AMLO for many months and recently have been living in a tent city in Mexico City, awaiting the outcome of the election. Many were outraged at his charges. "They've closed the door to us," complained one of them.

According to this report, a visibly shaken Camacho aproached AMLO, whispered something in his ear, and the news conference was abruptly ended.

In a later interview, Camacho admitted that the video that AMLO was waving around yesterday of supposed ballot stuffing really proved nothing. But he claimed that the PRD has "ten times more proof" of irregularities in the presidential election than the board of magistrates had required in the past to annul other elections.

It is begining to look like AMLO has some serious personal issues with losing at anything.

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TAGS: Mexico presidential election, AMLO