Hezbollah, Pro-Syrian Allies Rally in Beirut; Calderon Becomes Mexico's President Amid Turmoil
MCEDWARDS: Welcome back. You're watching</s>YOUR WORLD TODAY. MANN: Where we bring CNN's international and U.S. viewers up to speed on the most important international stories of the day. A brawl over the big job in Mexico. Jeers and whistles accompanied his swearing in, but it was an even more chaotic scene earlier when members of the Mexican Congress literally threw punches and chairs in protest. Felipe Calderon has taken over as Mexico's new president, while the opposition insists still that he stole last July's election. Harris Whitbeck is in Mexico City and joins us now with more -- Harris.</s>HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Jonathan. The swearing-in ceremony in which Felipe Calderon was declared Mexico's new president didn't last more than three or four minutes. Calderon surprised everybody, including some of those brawling legislators, when he suddenly appeared on the stage in the Legislative Palace in Mexico City, waved his right arm and took the oath of office, which lasted a very short while. He was accompanied by former president Vicente Fox. There was some doubt as to whether he would be at the ceremony, given the controversy surrounding Calderon's election. Meanwhile, supporters of his former opponent, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, attempted to march to the Legislative Palace to protest and to, in their words, prevent him from taking office. They were not allowed near, due to the heavy security. The challenge Calderon now faces is in trying to govern this country, which is so divided along political lines, and in working with a Congress that is also very divided in terms of its support -- Jonathan.</s>MANN: Why is this election victory so disputed?</s>WHITBECK: Well, Calderon won the election, was declared the victor by a very, very small percentage. The results of the election were very, very close. And it took the electoral tribunals several weeks to, in fact, declare that Calderon had won. There were partial recounts in some cases. And again, there was just a very, very, very tight race. And the result of that tight race is seen today in the fact that congress itself is very divided as for support for Calderon.</s>MANN: Harris Whitbeck in Mexico City -- Colleen.</s>MCEDWARDS: All right. We want to continue our coverage now of our top story, the protest in Lebanon, where the government there is in a very fragile state. Hala Gorani joins us now again from Beirut with more -- Hala.</s>GORANI: Well, this could lead to a very difficult political landscape here in Lebanon. You have on the one hand the U.S. and western-backed government of Fouad Siniora. You have on the other hand opposition demonstrators and parties that include, but are not limited to, Hezbollah. There's also the Shiite party, Amal. There is also the ex-army general in Lebanon here, Michel Aoun, and his followers. They poured into the streets of the Lebanese capital this day demanding the immediate resignation of the prime minister, Fouad Siniora. The crisis really began a few weeks ago. Let's bring our viewers up to date on the background of what led to this day here in Lebanon. Well, the prime minister, Fouad Siniora, yesterday, Thursday, told his nation there will be no coup and the only way to peace is through national unity. Now, trouble within Mr. Siniora's government went from bad to worse. That was last month. Five pro-Syrian Shiite ministers and one Christian quit the cabinet. That came ahead of cabinet approval of an international tribunal to investigate the February 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri. A U.N. report linked Syrian officials to Hariri's killing, but Damascus denied it played any role in it or any other political assassination, because there's been a string of them in this country. The latest, cabinet minister Pierre Gemayel gunned down in Beirut in broad daylight. After his funeral, anti-Syrian allies took to the streets, declaring that they, not Hezbollah, represent the country's majority. Now, as we've been saying, these -- these protests have been cross-sectarian, if you will. There are the Shiites, but also some Christian followers. We'll have a lot more from Beirut. For now, though, back to John.</s>MANN: Hala, from a distance, it looks like the Siniora government is trying to ignore this protest. Where's the prime minister today?</s>GORANI: The prime minister is really a few hundred yards or meters behind me in the prime minister's residence, called the Grand Serail here in downtown Beirut, behind a massive security force. And some observers are saying unprecedented security protecting the prime minister, but also several ministers who have been sleeping and eating there and living there in the last week since the assassination of that Christian cabinet minister, Pierre Gemayel. There are hundreds of police. You can see it there on your screen. Army troops, armored personnel carriers, barbed wire protecting the compound where the prime minister is. He is standing firm, John. He is saying that this is not a democratic way of asking for a government to step down. The only way his government will step down and step away from power is if there is a no-confidence vote from parliament. However, we just spoke to the editor of Al-Manar television, Ibrahim Moussawi (ph), who said that this sit-in that you're definitely hearing behind me, I'm sure, will continue, that these protests are open-ended until the government and the cabinet of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora resigns -- John.</s>MANN: Hala Gorani in Beirut. We'll be back to you soon. One of the loudest anti-government voices comes from the Christian leader, Michel Aoun. He's allied himself with the Shia group Hezbollah. And while it may seem like an odd match, his supporters say</s>SADLER (voice over): One maverick Christian leader, General Michel Aoun, claims he is already trying to do just that, by embracing Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, rocking the political establishment here by crossing the sectarian line. A bid, claim supporters among his Free Patriotic Movement, to diffuse tension.</s>KAMEL YAZIGI, FREE PATRIOTIC MOVEMENT: Because if you corner any group, Hezbollah in particular, you risk trouble. So by keeping a balance, you're ultimately safeguarding the unity of the country.</s>SADLER: A dramatic move that seems to defy the 70-year-old general's past. Back in the late 1980s, General Aoun led a breakaway faction within the army, and launched a hopeless battle of liberation to drive Syrian troops from Lebanon. He lost, and went into exile. The former Aoun aide, now a horticulturist, retired from politics, recalls Aoun's popularity among Christians blossomed when he defied Syria.</s>ROGER AZZAM, FMR. AOUN ADVISER: They were looking for a leader, for a savior, if we can say. And now they are missing the savior.</s>SADLER: Azzam split with the general long before Aoun returned home to a heroes welcome some 18 months ago, and he pours scorn on the general's new political ties.</s>AZZAM: Michael Aoun is not the Michael Aoun with you, his way is against, you know, the minimum of interest stuff for Lebanon, you know?</s>SADLER (on camera): Still, Aoun remains one of the popular Maronite Christians in the country. With enough parliamentary clout, backed by Hezbollah, to challenge the government here. (voice-over): It's 16 years since General Aoun surrendered the bomb-blasted presidential palace overlooking Beirut to the Syrians. Now he's hoping to become president, with the help of an old enemy and the newly influential Hezbollah. Brent Sadler, CNN, Beirut.</s>MCEDWARDS: All right. We are going to take a short break here now on YOUR WORLD TODAY. For our viewers in the United States, your top stories are coming up next.</s>MANN: Viewers everywhere, stay with us. More of YOUR WORLD TODAY after this.