Mexico leftists allow army parade

Mexican leftists will relax a huge sit-in protest in the centre of the capital to allow an army parade, their leader said yesterday in a concession that lowers the chance of violent demonstrations over vote fraud allegations.

Supporters of leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador have paralysed downtown Mexico City for weeks, camping in the main streets to protest his narrow loss in the July 2 presidential election to conservative Felipe Calderon.

The sit-ins have been peaceful but a traditional military parade through the city centre on Mexico's September 16 independence day was seen as a possible flashpoint between leftists and troops.

Mr Lopez Obrador, who promised to lift Mexico's poor out of misery, told his supporters to suspend their protests to let the army hold the parade of military hardware, which takes place every year in central streets and the Zocalo square.

"We don't have a problem with the military institution, with the Mexican army," the leftist told a rally. "We must be very aware that most of the troops belong to the people, they are sons and relatives of people in our movement," he said.

The leftists will hold a convention in the square later on Saturday after the parade has passed, Mr Lopez Obrador said.

But he called on his backers to protest there on Friday when President Vicente Fox is due to make an annual, highly symbolic address to the nation.

The left accuses Mr Fox of being part of a fraud that let ruling party candidate Mr Calderon win the election by only 234,000 votes out of 41 million. He will likely receive a rough reception during the ceremony.

An electoral court named Mr Calderon president-elect last week, throwing out Mr Lopez Obrador's claims of widespread vote rigging. The judges' ruling cannot be appealed and the conservative will take office on December 1, but Mr Lopez Obrador has said he will form a so-called parallel government to resist Mr Calderon's rule.