Mexico regime loses key seat // But PRI wins other governor races

AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico In what would be a crucial victory aheadof the 2000 presidential elections, the opposition National ActionParty captured the governor's seat in the central state ofAguascalientes, according to television exit polls.

The polls by Televisa and Television Azteca also showed thegoverning Institutional Revolutionary Party, as expected, keepingits governors seats in the gulf coast state of Veracruz and thesoutheastern state of Oaxaca.

Official preliminary results were to be released later.

The vote in Aguascalientes came a month after National Action,known by its Spanish initials PAN, lost one of its six governorseats. It was defeated by the governing party, known as the PRI, inChihuahua. Aguascalientes was seen as the PAN's best opportunity tocompensate for the loss.

According to Televisa's poll, PAN candidate Felipe GonzalezGonzalez captured 50 percent of the vote. The PRI's candidate,Hector Hugo Olivares Ventura, had 41 percent, and Alfonso BernalSahagun of the center-left Democratic Revolution Party had 6 percent.It did not give the margin of error in its poll.

The business-oriented National Action has gained strength inAguascalientes as the small, relatively prosperous state has becomemore urban and middle class.

Martin Diaz de la Vega, 32, said he voted for the PAN for thefirst time because he believes the PRI is corrupt.

"We need a change. Even if it's bad, I don't think it can beany worse," he said.

Turnout figures among Aguascalientes' 500,000 registered voterswere not available, but the state electoral council reported earlierin the day that turnout was strong and there were no major problems.

In Veracruz, Miguel Aleman, a wealthy businessman and the son ofa former president, won with 52 percent of the vote, according toTelevisa. Luis Pazos of the PAN was second with 28 percent.

Veracruz, a party stronghold, was seen as essential for the PRI.With its 4 million voters, Veracruz has the nation's third-largestelectorate and could be crucial in the presidential election.

If the final results reflect the showing of the exit poll, thewin could make Aleman a top contender for the PRI's presidentialnomination.

The PRI, which long maintained its power through a mix ofpatronage, strong-arm tactics and cheating at the ballot box, hasseen devastating electoral losses in recent years following reformsaimed at cleaning up the vote and making elections more competitive.

The PRI suffered its worst setbacks last year when it lostcontrol of the lower house of Congress and was defeated in the MexicoCity mayoral race. But it won two of three elections last month,including the defeat of the PAN in Chihuahua.

In Oaxaca, PRI candidate Jose Nelson Murat Casab won with 51percent of the vote, according to the exit poll. The DemocraticRevolution candidate, Hector Sanchez, finished second with 34percent.