![Mexico presidential challenger refuses to accept court-certified Calderon win](https://www.jurist.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/jurist-white-text.png)
[JURIST] Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador [campaign website, in Spanish; BBC profile], the defeated Mexican presidential candidate, said Tuesday that he refused to recognize the officially-declared victory of president-elect Felipe Calderon [campaign website, in Spanish; BBC profile] and confirmed plans to establish a parallel government [press release, in Spanish] representing what he called a "true, authentic republic." Lopez Obrador rejected Tuesday's decision by the Federal Electoral Tribunal [official website, in Spanish] to certify Calderon as the winner [JURIST report] of the disputed July 2 presidential election [JURIST news archive] in which the court largely dismissed his allegations of fraud. The tribunal's certification of Calderon as president-elect is final and cannot be appealed.
Calderon, meanwhile, promised to unify the country [BBC report], saying that he would incorporate many of his opponents' ideas into his government's agenda and would work to fight crime, reduce poverty and improve the economy. AP has more. El Universal has local coverage, in Spanish.