Mexico presidential election - Washington Post gets it right

I know I have been beating a probably long-dead horse, but the news reports, from the New York Times to the Los Angeles Times and almost all points in between, have insisted on calling the tabulating process now being concluded in Mexico's election a "recount" or a vote "count". It has been no such thing and the Washington Post seems to understand this. The report refers to the "count" a few too many times, but we may be arguing semantics here, because,

Throughout Wednesday, election supervisors in 300 vote-collection centers were poring over tally sheets from each polling place alongside representatives of the three major political parties: Calderón's National Action Party, or PAN; López Obrador's Democratic Revolutionary Party, or PRD; and the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, whose candidate, Roberto Madrazo, has conceded.

The process is complicated by a law that allows for the contents of the vote packets to be opened only if the tally sheets, or the packages, appear to have been tampered with or damaged. Such packets are then sliced open and a vote-by-vote count is conducted.

Correct. Although there are 2 other cases whereby the paquetes must be opened which I detailed in prior posts.

But Ugalde said Wednesday that opening all the packets would amount to a violation of law that would annul the results of not only the presidential race but also thousands of other races, including contests for the legislature and a host of governorships.

Correctamundo.

The count, which a special elections court has until Sept. 6 to certify or reject, will continue through the night, Ugalde said. He has told his employees that they must find a replacement to fill their seats if they want to go the bathroom.

"The count"? Grrrrr. I have to go to the bathroom and there is no one here to take my seat.

Gabriela Granados Martinez of the Post is on top of things.

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TAGS: Mexican presidential election, Washington Post, Se habla español