MEXICO CITY (AP) Angry and frustrated over corruption and violence, Mexican voters delivered a tidal wave presidential election victory to leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, giving him a broad mandate to upend the political establishment and govern for the poor.
Lopez Obrador won with between 53 percent and 53.8 percent of the votes, a remarkable margin not seen in the country for more than three decades.
A prominent exit poll predicted his party allies were poised to score big victories in congressional races, possibly winning absolute majorities in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.
Lopez Obrador, who campaigned on vows to transform Mexico and oust the mafia of power ruling the country, rode widespread voter anger and discontent with the governing Institutional Revolution Party, or PRI, of President Enrique Pena Nieto and had led opinion polls since the beginning of the campaign.
The PRI, which dominated Mexican politics for nearly the entire 20th century and recaptured the presidency in 2012, was set to suffer heavy losses not just for the presidency but in other races as well.
In brief remarks at a hotel in central Mexico City, Lopez Obrador called for reconciliation after a polarizing campaign and promised profound change but with respect for the law and constitutional order.
I confess that I have a legitimate ambition: I want to go down in history as a good president of Mexico, said Lopez Obrador, who had lost in the previous two presidential elections. I desire with all my soul to raise the greatness of our country on high.
The president-in-waiting, whose term will begin Dec. 1, devoted much of his speech to appealing to citizens of all stripes and seeking to reassure those who have eyed his candidacy nervously.
This new national project will seek to establish an authentic democracy and we do not intend to establish a dictatorship, Lopez Obrador said. The changes will be profound, but in accordance with established order.
Conservative Ricardo Anaya of a right-left coalition and the PRIs Jose Antonio Meade acknowledged defeat shortly after polls closed nationwide. The quick count had them around 22 percent and 16 percent, respectively.
Lopez Obradors supporters began wild celebrations in Mexico City, cruising up and down the central Paseo de la Reforma boulevard honking horns to the tune of Viva Mexico! and waving Mexican flags from car windows and moon roofs.
Retired teacher Susana Zuniga beamed and said the country was experiencing a moment similar to the Mexican Revolution a century ago.
The people are fed up. That is what brought us to this, she said.
