Mexican Court Expected to Favor Calderon

By WILL WEISSERT
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo/Dario Lopez-MIlls

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Ruling-party presidential candidate Felipe Calderon quietly prepared for victory while his leftist opponent vowed to never concede defeat, hours before Mexico's top electoral court was to announce a final ruling in the hotly disputed July elections - an unappealable decision expected to favor Calderon.

Tuesday's long-awaited ruling by the Federal Electoral Tribunal - which comes two months, three days, and tens of thousands of pages of legal challenges after voters cast their ballots - is unlikely to end potentially explosive protests or close the growing political divide gripping the country.

"The court is going to say, 'The election was valid and Calderon is the president and that's the end of it,'" said political analyst Oscar Aguilar. "But that won't turn the page. That won't end anything."