Fox Calls for Harmony After Protests

By JULIE WATSON
Associated Press Writer

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- President Vicente Fox called on Mexicans to overcome their deep political divisions in a state-of-the-nation speech he was forced to deliver over television after protests by leftist lawmakers kept him from addressing Congress in person.

Lawmakers protesting conservative Felipe Calderon's victory in the July 2 presidential election, which leftists claim was fraudulent, stormed the stage Friday evening and refused to yield, making Fox the first president in modern Mexican history not to deliver his annual address to Congress.

The opposition lawmakers took over the stage in Congress shortly before Fox arrived Friday, waving Mexican flags and holding placards calling the president a traitor to democracy. They ignored Congressional president Jorge Zermeno's demands that they return to their seats, shouting "Vote by Vote" - a rallying cry for Lopez Obrador's bid for a full recount in the election.

When Fox arrived at the door of the Legislative Palace, he handed in a written copy of his report - as the constitution requires - and announced over the loudspeaker that he wouldn't appear before lawmakers. He did not enter the chambers, and Congress was adjourned.