Mexico's top left-wing political party has made a strong showing in local elections in the country's most populous state.
Preliminary results from Sunday's vote in Mexico State show the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) has received around 30 percent of the vote. The results show the leftist PRD is running a close second behind the Industrial Revolutionary Party (PRI), which has long-dominated the key state's legislature. The conservative National Action Party of Mexican President Vicente Fox is in third place.
Observers say the result in Mexico State could indicate the outcome of the country's presidential elections in July.
Opinion polls show the PRD's Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is leading the race to unseat Mr. Fox.
Mexico State includes most of the suburbs around the capital, Mexico City, ranging from wealthy neighborhoods to squalid slums.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.