Mexican presidential hopeful faces criminal charges News
Mexican presidential hopeful faces criminal charges

[JURIST] The two main parties in Mexico's Congress joined forces late Thursday to strip Mexico City's mayor Manuel Lopez Obrador [Wikipedia profile] of immunity so he can be charged with contempt of court, threatening his bid for the presidency in 2006 [JURIST report]. The charges stem from a relatively minor land expropriation dispute and it is unclear if Lopez Obrador personally made any decisions in the matter. Lopez Obrador denied the charges and claimed it was an attempt by current president Vincente Fox [BBC profile] to oust him from the race for president. Though the left-leaning Lopez Obrador enjoys huge popularity in Mexico City, where he carried out public works and introduced food stamps for the elderly, his current lead in the opinion polls may be in vain if he is found guilty and banned from the presidential race next July. The federal Attorney General's office says it will immediately request a court order for Lopez Obrador's arrest. If approved the mayor will be removed from office but it remains unclear when this will occur and what effect it will ultimately have on his bid for the presidency. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Indian National Congress founded

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on December 28, 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. In subsequent decades, the so-called Congress Party would advocate for Indian independence from the UK, which was eventually achieved in 1947. The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected as a member of the INC. Learn more about the history and founding of the Indian National Congress.

Congress recognized Pledge of Allegiance

On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools. The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing.

Nepal ends monarchy, establishes republic

On December 28, 2007, the Kingdom of Nepal's interim parliament ended the country's monarchy and established the Republic of Nepal. Free elections were held on April 10 of the following year to elect a Constituent Assembly.

Learn more about the rise of democracy in Nepal.