MEXICO CITY – Leftist and ruling party lawmakers came to blows in Congress Tuesday amid preparations for the inauguration of President-elect Felipe Calderon, who named to his Cabinet a career ambassador and a governor tied to a violent crackdown on demonstrators.
Tuesday’s fight was likely a preview of protests to come as Calderon prepares to be sworn in Friday, taking charge of a fiercely divided nation after beating leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador by less than a percentage point.
The congressional chaos began after conservative legislators took over the podium, amid rumors that leftist lawmakers planned to seize Congress, as they did before President Vicente Fox’s Sept. 1 state-of-the-nation speech.
The leftists quickly followed, and scuffles broke out as Jorge Zermeno, the president of the lower house, called repeatedly for calm. He then suspended the session until Friday’s inauguration, but lawmakers from both parties remained in the chambers, refusing to leave.
The congressional uproar came hours after Calderon named key members of his Cabinet.
The president-elect has pledged to reach out to the millions who didn’t vote for him by building a coalition government that will adopt several of his rival’s proposals to help the poor.
So far, however, he has stacked his Cabinet with militants from his National Action Party who are likely to maintain the status quo.
His foreign secretary will be Patricia Espinosa, who was ambassador to several European countries. Francisco Ramirez Acuna will be the new interior secretary, the government’s No. 2 post. The former Jalisco governor has been criticized for his handling of protests during an international summit in 2004.
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