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 MEXICO CITY (AP) - Congress stripped Mexico City's leftist mayor of his immunity from prosecution Thursday, clearing the way for his arrest in a vote that could also block him from running in the 2006 presidential race, which he leads in the polls.
The House vote against Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador — which came on the same day he declared his presidential candidacy — could force him to stand trial on charges of ignoring a court order to stop construction of a road on contested private land.
If a judge approves federal prosecutors' request for Lopez Obrador's arrest, the mayor will be removed from office to stand trial. People facing criminal charges are barred from running for office under most interpretations of Mexican law. But if the court dismisses the case, Lopez Obrador would remain mayor and run for president.
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