9-30-06, 10:14 am

Mexico said United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was out of line by suggesting that its democracy was just now maturing, saying it wasn’t up to her to voice such opinions publicly.

In a Monday interview with The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, Rice said Mexico was beginning to put its disputed July 2 election behind it.

‘‘Mexico has come through this crisis and I think it’s been a real vote of confidence in the Mexican democratic system, which after all, is relatively, it’s just now maturing in a kind of two-party system,’’ Rice said.

Rubén Aguilar, spokesman for President Vicente Fox, said that ‘‘we shouldn’t be surprised that other countries salute Mexican institutions,’’ but said Rice shouldn’t comment on Mexican democracy.

‘‘We don’t agree with the declaration of the Secretary of state because, in accordance with the construction of Mexico’s political system, it’s only up to Mexicans themselves to voice those opinions,’’ he told a briefing for reporters at the presidential residence.

Mexican officials have expressed even stronger disapproval of comments by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, who recently questioned the legitimacy of the presidential election.

Rice’s suggestion that Mexico is headed toward a two-party system may have been her most controversial remark. The Institutional Revolutionary Party controlled Mexico’s presidency from 1929 until a stunning loss to Fox in 2000. But the country has three major political parties, and several others are represented in its Congress.

Former Energy Secretary Felipe Calderón, of Fox’s conservative, pro-business National Action Party, was declared the winner of the July 2 election by about 0.6% and will take office December 1.

But leftist runner-up Andrés Manuel López Obrador has rallied hundreds of thousands in street protests alleging election fraud and he has declared a parallel government.

Aguilar wouldn’t say if Mexico planned to lodge an official complaint with Washington.

During the Wall Street Journal interview, Rice said support for López Obrador appeared to be fading, noting that ‘‘while Chávez continues to say he’ll support López Obrador and all of that, the question is will Mexicans.’’

‘‘And it doesn’t appear that they will. It appears that the Mexicans wish to get back to reality here, to a stable political environment”.

From MercoPress