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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Mexico’s Ruling Party Suffers A Setback

Compiled From Wire Services

The ruling party retained most of its power but still suffered a setback in local elections held in the western state of Guerrero, where rebel violence convulsed it this summer.

Preliminary results from the weekend vote indicated that the Institutional Revolutionary Party was losing 12 of the 68 mayorships it previously held statewide, a sign its grip on power is weakening and residents in the impoverished state are increasingly fed up with the status quo.

With 92 percent of the vote counted Thursday, the ruling PRI was winning in 54 of 76 municipalities statewide. Most other municipalities were going to the leftist Democratic Revolution Party.

The results illustrate the new political map being drawn in Mexico, replacing nearly seven decades of one-party rule with a multiparty system.