Mexico Debate Chiefs Sorry Over Skimpy Dress

Mexico's electoral authority has apologised because of a revealing outfit worn by an assistant during a televised presidential debate.

Julia Orayen was part of the production team working on the debate that was focusing on the economy and the drug-related violence ravaging the country.

But it was her low-cut revealing dress that hit the headlines.

At the start of Sunday night's debate, Ms Orayen walked in front of the camera to hand out cards to the four candidates, and created an immediate stir on social media sites.

The appearance lasted only a few seconds but quickly began trending on Twitter, generating thousands of mentions.

While many Mexicans enjoyed her appearance, others condemned the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) for the incident, saying it had undermined the seriousness of the debate.

The IFE later issued a statement apologising to the people of Mexico and the candidates for the "production error associated with the dress of an assistant".

Ms Orayen posed nude for the Mexican edition of Playboy in 2008, a spokesman for the magazine said.