MEXICO CITY, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Voters go to the polls on Sunday in
Mexico's presidential and congressional elections.
The following are some key facts about the the polls in Mexico.
All Mexican citizens over 18 years of age are eligible to vote. Some 71.3 million
Mexicans have registered to choose 500 deputies, 128 senators and a new
president, whose term will run from Dec. 1,2006 to 2012.
Voters will also choose three state governors and more than 100mayors,
including that of Mexico City.
Nearly 41,000 overseas Mexicans, who have returned home, will vote for the
first time in the general election.
It is estimated that 220 million votes will be cast at 130,500 polling
stations across the country.
Voting opens at 8:00 a.m. local time (1300 GMT) and ends at 6:00 p.m.(2300
GMT) on Sunday.
Five candidates are competing for the presidency in a first-past-the-post
system -- the one who garners the largest number of votes is the winner. And
there is no second round of voting and no minimum percentage is required for an
outright win.
If the result is controversial, the Federal Electoral Tribunal has the
final say and will give the final ruling by Aug. 31.
The latest opinion poll showed the two leading presidential candidates -- Andres
Manuel Lopez Obrador of the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), and his main
rival Felipe Calderon of the ruling National Action Party (PAN) are leading with
around 36 percent and 33 percent respectively. Roberto Madrazo Pintado of the
Institutional Revolution Party (PRI), which ruled for 71 years, is trailing
in third place with around 27 percent.
The other two candidates are Roberto Campa Cifrian of the New Alliance and
Patricia Mercado of the Social Democratic and Farmer Alternative.
Under Mexico's 1917 Constitution, the president, directly elected for a
non-renewable six-year term, is the head of state and governs with the
assistance of an appointed Cabinet.
Mexico's legislative power is vested in the bicameral National Congress.
The Senate has 128 members, with four from each state and the Federal District.
Senators serve a six-year term. The Federal Chamber of Deputies, directly
elected every three years, has 500 seats.
Some 340,000 policemen and soldiers have been deployed across the country
for the elections. And 693 observers from 60 counties will be on hand to monitor
the elections. Enditem
