Mexico City ? Opposition lawmakers forced President Felipe Calderon to deliver his state of the union speech Sunday, a day late. They made him speak at the National Palace instead of in Congress and kept him off live television.

But in Mexico’s tense political climate, the unusual change in protocol might have helped Calderon avert a potentially violent confrontation that would have complicated efforts to push through his agenda.

The speech capped a suspenseful weekend in which Calderon and lawmakers reached a last-minute deal: Calderon would offer his state of the union report, known as the informe, in writing Saturday night and save the speech for Sunday.

Many lawmakers with the liberal Democratic Revolutionary Party still refuse to recognize the conservative Calderon’s 2006 election victory, which they say came through fraud. They saved face by shunning Calderon without coming off as unreasonable obstructionists, analysts said.