Mexican presidential rival 'will not cause trouble' if defeated

MEXICO CITY- Mexico's leftist candidate would not stir up trouble on the streets if he is narrowly defeated in a presidential election, but would fight any vote fraud in the courts, a top campaign aide has said.

Investors worry that Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a former Indian welfare officer, could summon supporters to into the streets if he loses the July 2 election, causing political gridlock and perhaps violence that would roil financial markets.

But Ricardo Monreal, one of Lopez Obrador's top campaign aides, said the left would steer clear of rabble-rousing.

"We will not shut down or occupy offices, cause chaos or problems," he said in an interview. "We will go to the courts."

Lopez Obrador is neck-and-neck in opinion polls with conservative rival Felipe Calderon, who has compared him to populist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and warned that he would wreck Mexico's economy if elected.

The Mexican left, which has accused Calderon of dirty tricks in the campaign, lost a presidential election in 1988 that was widely believed to have been rigged by the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party.

- REUTERS