The Associated Press
April 26, 2000
By Johanna Tuckman

Mexico City--Mexican watchdog groups on Wednesday accused the government of obstructing foreign electoral observers in the run-up to the July 2 presidential election, citing a U.S. observer who was deported on arrival in Mexico.

"We are very worried that the Interior Ministry, via the immigration authorities, is putting obstacles in the way of foreign observers. This is bad for democracy," said Jaime Cardenas, a top official with the independent Federal Electoral Institute.

The institute is responsible for organizing the election and monitoring fairness, and has built up a reputation as one of the nation's most impartial institutions since becoming independent of the government in 1996.

Cardenas spoke at a news conference called by non-governmental organizations to protest the recent deportation of Ted Lewis, who heads the Mexico programs of the San Francisco-based human rights group Global Exchange.

"The (supposed) legal justification was that he had lied by entering the country as a tourist," said Cardenas, who insisted Lewis was entitled to change his immigration status once inside Mexico.

Rogelio Gomez, coordinator of the Mexican watchdog group Civic Alliance, said the incident proved the government is seeking to keep international observers out of the country before election day.

The Institutional Revolutionary Party has held the presidency for the past 71 years with the help of elections often tainted by accusations of foul play. This year most analysts consider that blatant fraud is unlikely, but concern remains about more subtle ways of influencing voters.

Angelica Rendon, spokeswoman for the immigration agency, denied the government was seeking to control foreign observers. She insisted Lewis had abused the tourist status during previous trips to the conflictive state of Chiapas, and consequently "has no right to be in Mexico."