Mexican electoral body ratifies Lopez Obrador’s presidential win

   MEXICO CITY, July 9  -- Mexico's top electoral body on Sunday ratified Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's victory in the presidential election on July 1.
   The National Electoral Institute (INE) validated the preliminary results after it finished tallying the vote cast at all the 300 electoral districts around the country.
   Lopez Obrador garnered an overwhelming 53.2 percent of the vote, the INE said in a statement, adding that over 56 million Mexicans voted in the general elections, with the turnout at 63.4 percent.
   Given Lopez Obrador's decisive lead, his rivals conceded defeat less than two hours after the polls closed.
   Ricardo Anaya, the candidate of the right-left coalition between the National Action Party and the Party of the Democratic Revolution, was in a distant second place with 22.3 percent of the vote.
   Jose Antonio Meade of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, the ruling party, came in third with 16.4 percent, and independent candidate Jaime Rodriguez received 5.2 percent.
   Lopez Obrador's center-left National Regeneration Movement (Morena) reportedly won a majority of seats in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. These results will be confirmed later.
   Morena also gained governorship of Mexico City and several states.
   The general elections were the largest in the country's history, with candidates competing for more than 3,400 national, regional and local posts.
   Lopez Obrador will take office on Dec. 1 to succeed President Enrique Pena Nieto.Xinhua