Mexican fined for mentioning god during poll campaign

Mexico City News.Net
Friday 30th July, 2010

A politician in Mexico has been fined over 27,000 pesos ($2,000) for referring to god in public during his election campaign for governor of a northwestern state, officials said.

Mario Lopez Valdez, governor-elect of Sinaloa state, was slapped with the fine by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, Mexico's poll body.

'I will win with the will of the people and of god,' Valdez had said in an address during his run for the governorship. He had also referred to god on an earlier occasion, ahead of the July 4 election.

Valdez was also fined for saying: 'It cannot be stopped when the will of the people, the stars and god are aligned.'

The phrases cost the politician a fine of 27,235 pesos ($2,000). The elections agency also issued the governor-elect an official warning.

Valdez's statements violated the federal constitution and the state election law, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal said.

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