Reuters AlertNet Lite - Bombs hit Mexico election court, party HQ, bank

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Bombs hit Mexico election court, party HQ, bank

06 Nov 2006 16:06:27 GMT
Source: Reuters

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A policeman inspects the debris after a small explosive device detonated at the entrance of the "Plutarco Elias Calles" auditorium in the national headquarters of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in Mexico City November 6, 2006. Small bombs exploded on Monday at Mexico's top electoral court, the headquarters of an opposition party and a bank in the capital but there were no injuries, Mexican media reported.
REUTERS/TOMAS BRAVO

(Adds government reaction, details)

MEXICO CITY, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Bombs exploded at Mexico's top electoral court, an opposition party's headquarters and a bank in the capital on Monday, blowing out windows and causing other structural damage but injuring no one.

The devices went off simultaneously just after midnight and unnerved some investors worried about political instability before President-elect Felipe Calderon takes office on Dec. 1. The Mexican peso fell against the dollar.

At a branch of Canada's Scotiabank <BNS.TO> in the south of Mexico City, the explosion tore apart the metal and glass facade of the bank.

In the headquarters of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, ceiling panels at a back entrance lie shattered on the floor.

Houses close to the electoral court, known as the Trife, were also damaged in the blast. The concrete court building suffered little damage.

A fourth bomb in a rucksack at another bank was deactivated by police, authorities said.

The court angered leftists in September for ruling that conservative candidate Calderon won July's presidential election fairly.

Judges threw out claims of fraud by leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who lost narrowly.

Presidential spokesman Ruben Aguilar said the bombings were isolated incidents but still worrisome, and that the federal government and Mexico City police were investigating.

The PRI, which ruled Mexico for 71 years until President Vicente Fox beat it at elections in 2000, is now the third force in Mexican politics.

The PRI governor of the state of Oaxaca, Ulises Ruiz, is under pressure to resign after large street demonstrations by opponents who accuse him of corruption and using heavy-handed tactics against striking teachers.

Tens of thousands of protesters marched on Sunday in the state capital Oaxaca city where demonstrators clashed with police last week in the deepening conflict.

Joel Ortega, Mexico City's police chief, said he hoped images from the closed circuit television in the bank damaged by the blast might help police identify the bomber or bombers.

Mexico's peso dropped 0.73 percent to 10.869 per dollar. Mexican stocks gained ground, shrugging off the news.

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Last updated:Mon Nov 6 16:08:04 2006