Recount will stop drive to overturn election

? Leftist politician Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Friday that he will halt an ongoing nationwide mobilization of supporters if the Federal Electoral Tribunal heeds his demand for a vote-by-vote recount in Mexico’s disputed presidential election.

In an interview with Radio W, Lopez Obrador listed conditions for ending his campaign to overturn results showing that Felipe Calderon of the National Action Party defeated him in the July 2 contest. But he also made it clear that if such a recount favored Calderon, he still would not recognize him as the country’s legitimate president.

The official tally showed that the conservative Calderon won by fewer than 244,000 votes, a 0.6 percent margin. Lopez Obrador and his PRD team have filed 225 electoral challenges with the Federal Electoral Tribunal. The panel must review those complaints, and any others, by Aug. 31 and make a decision by Sept. 6.