More than half of the ballot boxes from last weekend 's Mexican presidential election -- 54.5 % -- will be individually recounted , the executive secretary of Mexico 's Federal Election Institute said Wednesday . That represents 78,012 ballot boxes , Edmundo Jacobo Molina told reporters . The political parties will supervise , review and watch over the recount , which will be carried out by the election institute , he said . The announcement came as the official ballot count in Mexico 's presidential elections began Wednesday and as the presumptive president-elect sought to consolidate his reported victory even as a challenger refused to concede . Enrique Peña Nieto received the most votes , according to preliminary results released the night of Sunday 's balloting , and according to a quick count released by the election institute , known by its Spanish acronym IFE . The quick count gave Peña Nieto a margin of victory of between 6.07 and 7.65 percentage points . But Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador , the candidate for a progressive coalition , has said he has evidence of irregularities at most of the 143,000 polling stations and wants a full recount . Lopez Obrador demands recount in Mexican election vote . Lopez Obrador made a similar demand after losing in 2006 to Felipe Calderon . The process that started Wednesday is intended to check all election returns recorded in each district and can carry out recounts in certain cases . IFE predicted a final count on Sunday . Officials have called this election the most transparent in Mexico 's history . It was the first election in which scanned copies of district-by-district election returns were posted on the Internet . But accusations have arisen of electoral manipulation by Peña Nieto 's party -- the Institutional Revolutionary Party , or PRI . The party , which was in power for 71 years before being voted out in 2000 , was known for being corrupt and authoritarian . Its apparent victory last weekend would mark a triumphant return after 12 years of rule by the right-wing National Action Party , known by the acronym PAN . But supporters of Lopez Obrador accused the PRI of having returned to its old ways of corruption . Political tensions flare after Mexican presidential vote . Daniel Avila , a representative for the anti-Peña Nieto student movement # YoSoy132 ( I am 132 ) , told CNN en Español that his group had already received 1,100 allegations of vote-buying , stuffed ballot boxes and intimidation . The group has photos , video and audio proof of these violations , the group said . `` What we 're going to try to do is find all these people to get testimonies , and then take that evidence to the IFE , '' Avila said . Lopez Obrador supporters pointed to long lines that were reported at the Soriana chain of supermarkets . Voters flocked to the stores to use gift cards handed out by the PRI in exchange for votes , some allege . Calls to PRI offices were not returned . Mexican election regulators said they were investigating the allegations related to the gift cards . The electoral authorities should question the owners of the chain , said Irma Erendira Sandoval , a political analyst at the National Autonomous University of Mexico . Wednesday 's count will help determine whether there was fraud , she said . `` This is a fundamental stage where the transparency and cleanliness of the entire election is at stake , '' she told CNN en Español . According to the group Alianza Civica ( Civic Alliance ) , which seeks to ensure elections are free and fair , a poll of Mexican voters found that nearly 30 % reported being exposed to at least one example of vote-buying or coercion . Taking advantage of the fact that election returns are available online , critics began circulating copies of what they described as suspicious returns . One such document shared by PRI opponents is an electoral return from a district in Michoacan . It appears to show that 362 of 732 registered voters cast ballots , but that the PRI won 945 votes . For his part , Peña Nieto , in an interview with `` NewsHour '' on PBS , praised Mexico 's democratic system and said he was putting his trust in the electoral authorities . `` We have electoral tribunals that will be responsible for addressing these issues and attending to these complaints , the ones filed by candidate Lopez Obrador , '' he said . Ballots will be recounted in cases where the difference between the top two finishers is 1 percentage point or less ; where the number of annulled votes is greater than the difference between the top two ; where all the votes go to one party ; and where there are obvious irregularities such as the votes not adding up . Lopez Obrador must wait until Sunday to formally submit any application for a recount to the Federal Election Tribunal . Avila , the youth activist , acknowledged that Peña Nieto will likely be confirmed as president , but contended that that was because of PRI 's alleged maneuverings . `` The amount of evidence we present does not matter . It is a fact that Enrique Peña Nieto will remain , '' he said . `` We have had a position since before the election that this was being imposed by fraud , and it 's what we 've been seeing . '' Opinion : Is Peña Nieto good news for Mexico ?
The political parties will supervise , review and watch over the recount , IFE chief says . The official ballot count began Wednesday . Preliminary results give victory to PRI 's Peña Nieto .