Mexican conservative calls for peace as protesters supporting his opponent vow to continue street blockades

By Ioan Grillo

ASSOCIATED PRESS

7:44 a.m. August 3, 2006

MEXICO CITY – Several hundred supporters of leftist presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador blocked the entrance to Mexico's stock market early Thursday, as others were forced to temporarily relocate portions of a sprawling protest camp following heavy rains and hail that flooded several parts of the city.

Traders said the protests would not affect transactions, which are conducted electronically from brokerage offices. The market, which opened about 9 a.m. local time (1400 GMT), was operating at normal levels Thursday morning, with 6.4 million shares worth about 170 million pesos, (US$15.5 million; euro12.13 million).

Holding placards and yellow balloons representing the color of Lopez Obrador's leftist political party, the protesters pledged to continue disrupting everyday life in the capital until the country's Federal Electoral Tribunal rules on the candidate's request for a vote-by-vote recount that he says will expose fraud that tilted the race in favor of conservative rival Felipe Calderon.