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Demand for vote recount

MEXICO CITY: Leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador ratcheted up demands for a full recount in the presidential election apparently won by his conservative rival with calls for a civil resistance campaign before supporters who overwhelmed the capital's central square. It was the second weekend in a row Mr. Lopez Obrador has rallied hundreds of thousands to Mexico City, galvanising public support as he appeals the official July 2 election count. The former Mexico City mayor addressed about 300,000 persons from across the country who converged on the plaza and surrounding streets, chanting ``Vote by vote!'' — the slogan of the recount campaign. ``To defend democracy, we are going to be beginning peaceful civil resistance,'' a stern-faced Mr. Lopez Obrador told the crowd of grandmothers, students, and families who pushed baby carriages plastered with stickers saying, ``No to the damn fraud.'' The pro-Lopez Obrador city government estimated Sunday's crowd at 1.1 million. In official election returns, Felipe Calderon of President Vicente Fox's conservative National Action Party led by about 244,000 votes. — AP

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