Mexican candidates trade leads

Chris Hawley
Republic Mexico City Bureau

Jul. 6, 2006 12:00 AM

MEXICO CITY - Federal officials pored through vote tally sheets late into the night Wednesday in an attempt to decide a Mexican presidential election that has become an electoral roller-coaster ride.

As the Federal Elections Institute compiled its official results, leftist candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador was ahead of conservative Felipe Calderón, who appeared to be leading the count earlier this week.

With votes from 93 percent of polling stations recounted following Sunday's election, López Obrador led Calderón by 0.81 percentage points just before midnight Wednesday. The margin appeared to be narrowing as the night wore on.

The Elections Institute has been put under a microscope as it reconciles vote differences in the tightest election in recent Mexican history. Institute President Luis Carlos Ugalde said the count would continue all night and that a result could be announced during the wee hours this morning. He urged both candidates and their supporters to be patient.

"The country requires certainty and responsibility by all the political players," Ugalde said during a late-night news conference.