Mérida, Yucatán — The capital city’s former mayor has declared victory in his pursuit of the governor’s office.
Voter turnout was high. Between 70.1 and 73.5 of all registered voters lined up at the polls, some of them waiting hours.
The numbers are not official. Final election counts begin Wednesday and will last three days.
Mauricio Vila Dosal’s margin of victory was slim enough that it took until 1 a.m. today (Monday) to verify the election results. Some confusion occurred earlier in the evening when PRI officials erroneously declared victory for their candidate, Mauricio Sahuí Rivero.
As of mid-morning, Sahuí Rivero had not conceded and his most recent Facebook post was a photo of him awash in celebratory confetti.
Vila Dosal earned between 38.8 and 40.8 percent of the votes, followed by Sahuí Rivero, at 34-36.5 percent.
In third place, Morena’s Joaquín Díaz Mena received between 20.1 and 23.2 percent.
Meanwhile, Mérida’s former mayor, Renán Barrera Concha, reclaimed that post, which he previously held until three years ago.
Both victors are National Action Party (PAN) members.
Despite the late night, Vila Dosal said the morning will be filled with interviews and meetings in preparation for his new administration, which begins in September.
“We set ourselves the goal of building the best Yucatán of all time and that is not a single man’s task, it is work that we have to carry out together,” said Vila Dosal, who ended his mayoral term early to focus on the governor’s race. “Yucatán is a wonderful state that has a lot of potential and I think we have to work very hard to build it.”
The next governor vowed to cooperate with federal officials, including president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose Morena party defeated both PAN and PRI candidates nationally.
Barrera Concha also expressed delight at the election results.
“I am deeply proud of this result that undoubtedly is an endorsement of the trust of the good government of the city of Mérida and that of course will be an example to also be able to continue building this Mérida, of which we are deeply proud,” he declared.
Electoral officials reported 140 instances of violent altercations at various polling stations across the state.
Sources: El Economista, La Jornada Maya
