MEXICO CITY -- The face of Mexican politics was notably different on Monday after a historic election that ended 71 years of one-party rule by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).
Vicente Fox of the conservative National Action Party (PAN) swept past PRI's candidate for president, Francisco Labastida, while a PAN-Green Party alliance took control of Congress in an election that raised Mexico's democratic stock.
"I want to congratulate the Mexican nation for the democratic and political maturity it showed during the election," said European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, a one-time foreign minister of Spain, Mexico's former colonial ruler.
Mexico's neighbors -- the United States, Chile, Argentina and Brazil among them -- also praised the success of the weekend vote, which saw nearly two-thirds of eligible voters take part.
With 93 percent of the vote counted, Fox had racked up 42.8 percent of the vote, followed by Labastida's 35.7 percent. Three other candidates trailed the two front-runners.
"Today Mexico is already different," Fox, who celebrated his 58th birthday
on Sunday, told his cheering supporters. "Today Mexico steps into the 21st
century with the right foot."
PRI pledges smooth transition
The president-elect pledged to maintain an "open and inclusive" atmosphere between outgoing President Ernesto Zedillo and his own government during the five-month transition period before he begins his six-year presidential term in December."Today we stand on the other side of the bridge, and a new era is about to begin," said Fox. "I extend my hand to my adversaries in this contest."
Zedillo accepted that hand, conceding Fox's victory in a nationally televised address.
"I talked by phone with Fox to let him know the government is absolutely ready to collaborate with him," Zedillo said, adding that he offered to oversee a "transparent way of government" until Fox takes office.
"I feel like I'm on top of the world," Fox said. "Today I am more in love than ever with my country. Tomorrow, we have a lot -- a lot -- of work to do."
Labastida, who won the first-ever PRI primary to run as the party's candidate, became the first PRI presidential candidate to lose an election.
"The citizens made a decision we should all respect," he said in his concession speech, appearing to have tears in his eyes. "I will set an example."
"Our party is alive and will remain alive, and will know how to recover,
with the unity of all its members, the trust of the majority," said Labastida,
who did not utter the name of the man who beat him.
Seen as fairest election ever
The presidential election was the most competitive in Mexico's history, and despite hundreds of allegations of pressure and vote-buying, the elections were widely seen as Mexico's fairest ever."The Carter Center has been monitoring elections down here for more than 12 years," former U.S. President Jimmy Carter told CNN from Mexico City. "This one was almost perfect."
Carter gave what he called "the major credit ... to the Mexican people, who showed a sense of maturity and a deep commitment to freedom and democracy that was really extraordinary."
National authorities acted this year to assure voters that they would
not see the kind of fraud that many observers say twisted election outcomes
in the past.
Zedillo lauds 'great calm'
The president of the independent IFE, Jose Woldenberg, said in a statement that 99.99 percent of the nation's 113,423 voting stations functioned normally, marking the highest percentage in Mexico's history.After casting his vote Sunday, Zedillo said, "There's great participation, there's great enthusiasm and there's a great calm in the country... It will strengthen our democracy, and that will allow the country to continue forward."
It was the first time in 71 years that the PRI did not dominate the Mexican political landscape. The party has controlled the presidency since creation of the office in 1929.
Zedillo, of the PRI, has helped create new election guidelines for candidates
running for local and regional posts, and for the five candidates trying
to succeed him as president. Mexican presidents are elected for one six-year
term.
Fox wants to jump-start the economy
Fox, a former Coca-Cola executive and rancher, was elected governor of central Guanajuato state in 1995.He pledged to halt corruption, jump-start the economy with foreign investment and jobs programs and nearly double spending for public education. He espouses an agreement with the United States that would let workers cross the border freely.
Labastida ran a largely traditional campaign after a landslide victory in the party's first presidential primary in November.
He promised more aid for the countryside, more resources for public education and more attention to the poor. Labastida, a former governor of Sinaloa state, was a top Cabinet secretary before the campaign and said he would continue many of Zedillo's policies.
The Fox campaign on Saturday released a 200-page list of complaints that Fox spokeswoman Marta Sahagun said demonstrated that the elections "are already tainted."
Cirilo Mejia, a 66-year-old lottery ticket salesman, said PRI gift-giving had been more widespread than ever this year -- and that suited him just fine.
"They gave me lots of presents: Pens, caps, even a blanket. I'm going to vote for the one they recommended -- Labastida," he said, adding that "they" were government leaders.
