Conservative Felipe Calderon Declared Winner in Mexico Election

exican ruling party candidate Felipe Calderon was declared the winner of Mexico’s disputed presidential race Thursday, but his leftist rival vowed to challenge the results in court, which could take until September to decide, the Associated Press reported.

he conservative candidate received 35.88% of the vote, compared with 35.31% for Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. A third candidate received about 22% of the vote.

Calderon is a conservative who preached free-market values and financial stability during the campaign, and a backer of the North American Free Trade Agreement with the United States and Canada, news services reported. Lopez Obrador had pleged to renegotiate Nafta, the Financial Times reported.

The president-elect wants to encourage foreign investment — including in the energy sector, now banned by law — simplify the Mexican tax code and lower some corporate taxes, the Journal reported.