Only ex-first lady meets rules to be independent candidate in Mexico election - authority

FILE PHOTO: Margarita Zavala greets her supporters after registering as an independent presidential candidate at the National Electoral Institute (INE), for the upcoming July 1 federal elections in Mexico City, Mexico March 11, 2018. REUTERS/Ginnette Riquelme

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Only former Mexican first lady Margarita Zavala has collected enough valid signatures of support to compete in the July 1 presidential election as an independent, the country's National Electoral Institute (INE) said on Friday.

Zavala and two other contenders reached the final phase of qualification, which requires 866,593 signatures, or 1 percent of the electoral register, across at least 17 Mexican regions.