MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Thousands of people in Mexico today have been rushing to stores to redeem pre-paid gift cards that they said had been given to them by the party that went on to win Mexico's presidency in Sunday's election.
And that has inflamed accusations that the election was marred by widespread vote-buying.
Under Mexican election law, it's not a crime to give voters a gift, unless the gift is conditioned on a certain vote or is meant to influence a vote. But the cost of the gifts must be reported, and it can't exceed campaign spending limits.
At least a few cardholders today were angry, complaining that they didn't get as much as they were promised, or that their cards weren't working.
At one store in a poor neighborhood of Mexico City, neighbors said unusually large crowds kept them from doing their daily shopping.