the national media, some members of the PRI and the PAN and ultimately, a unanimous chorus from the foreign media. This was the main factor that ultimately forced the PAN and the government to reverse their course on this matter and to look for a political solution. This outcome was widely hailed as a positive for Mexican society and democracy, but it clearly took a heavy toll on the government's credibility. Many also argue that the Rule of Law principle that the PAN and the government had so vehemently defended during the process was suddenly no longer a priority when it became clear that the politics of the desafuero were only damaging the PAN's prospects and were arguably boosting López Obrador's political image. Chronology 9 November 2000: Rosario Robles, his predecessor, expropriated a plot of land from a larger property called El Encino, in Santa Fe, Cuajimalpa, to build an access road for a private hospital. 11 March 2001: The landowner sued the Federal District on the grounds of improper expropriation. He was granted a federal judicial order barring further construction until the matter was definitively settled. Construction, the proprietor alleged, prevented access to his property. According to prosecutors, López Obrador knowingly disregarded this order several times. Under the criminal code, this is a misdemeanor. January 2005: López Obrador's intention to run for president became clear. Meanwhile, the Attorney General resurrects the case and sends it to Congress for evaluation. Late February and March 2005: As the desafuero vote in a congressional sub-committee approached, the federal government initiated a media campaign against López Obrador. Fox had his Secretary of the Interior, Santiago Creel, run a series of media spots which attempted to draw comparisons between López Obrador and common criminals. Despite the media campaign, the overwhelming majority of the population believed that the desafuero process was politically motivated. 1 April 2005: López Obrador lost the first battle in a vote taken by a sub-committee of four deputies, enabling a desafuero vote by the full Chamber of Deputies six days later. 7 April 2005: López Obrador defended himself in an address to the deputies. After a long session in which he accused President Fox of being behind the process, the Chamber of Deputies voted to remove the fuero 360 to 127. The final tally amounted to a party-line vote, with the PRI and the PAN voting to remove his fuero. The