PRI Claims Victory in State of Mexico

In gubernatorial elections Sunday seen as a warmup for the 2000 presidential vote, Mexico’s governing party led in the nation’s most populous state, and an opposition alliance said it had apparently won in another state.

With 75% of the results counted in the crowded state of Mexico, governing party candidate Arturo Montiel had 39.9% compared with 35.3% for National Action Party, or PAN, candidate Jose Luis Duran. Democratic Revolution Party, or PRD, candidate Higinio Martinez had 20.9%.

“In the PRI [Institutional Revolutionary Party], we have won this election,” Montiel announced.

In the second state, Nayarit, exit polls and quick counts of results by two TV networks showed that a rare PAN-PRD opposition alliance had toppled the PRI.

Coalition candidate Antonio Echeverria told a cheering crowd that he had apparently won.