EDITORIAL HOPES FOR DEMOCRACY DIVIDED MEXICO FACES TOUGH TESTS AFTER A BITTER ELECTION CAMPAIGN.

FELIPE Calderon is the official winner of last week's Mexican presidential election, leaving half the voting population of that country upset and disappointed, calling for a recount and preparing to protest in the street.

But even if Calderon had lost to chief rival Andres Manual Lopez Obrador, half the voting population would be upset and disappointed, calling for a recount and preparing to protest in the street.

The nasty tone of the campaign and the narrow gap between the candidates set the stage for the toughest test yet of Mexico's nascent, growing democratic tradition.

Hopefully, Mexicans won't sour to the taste of true democracy after decades of one-party rule and elections marked with fraud, intimidation and corruption.

This was a very different election, with an independent association running things fairly and openly. This time around, charges of fraud aren't very credible.

The former ruling party, PRI, wasn't a player in this election, and that's what made it truly competitive. To be sure, competition breeds the type of invective and mudslinging common in U.S. elections, but that's better than knowing that there's no choice, as was the case for generations in Mexico.

How Mexico deals with the aftermath of this polarizing election -- specifically whether the opposition chooses to work with the winners or obstruct them -- will be an important test of the country's future democracy.