Final preparations for Mexico election

Final preparations get underway in Mexico for Sunday's presidential election.

With accusations of vote rigging rife, Mexican soldiers have been drafted in to oversee the distribution of electoral materials and ballots to polling stations.

Thousands of electoral officials are also being trained to monitor the process.

Elections chief Leonardo Valdez Zurita said one million Mexican citizens had been trained to help, while nearly 700 electoral observers from around the world would be on the lookout for fraud.

(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) LEONARDO VALDEZ ZURITA, IFE DIRECTOR, SAYING:

"We can say that everything is ready for the citizens on Sunday. They will be able to vote freely, in peace and decide the future of this country."

Not everyone believes in the process however - there were protests outside election headquarters after a complaint by leftist presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador that his rivals were buying votes.

In 2006, Lopez Obrador's accusations that President Felipe Calderon 'stole' that election shut down parts of Mexico City for weeks.

Sunita Rappai Reuters