Ruffo was neither a savvy politician nor a seasoned public official. But he was determinedhis motto was:Yes, it can be doneto succeed as the second opposition mayor in state history.

Last week, a photograph of a proud, confident Ruffo appeared on the front cover of Mexico’s leading political weekly. Its Ruffo:The presidency in the year 2,000; ‘Yes, it can be done.’ Ruffo’s optimism is shared by many Mexicans around the nation, including panistas and nonpartisans, who believe the PAN could conceivably defeat the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in the next presidential elections.

What is referred to in Mexico as territorio panista has grown rapidly this year. The territory now extends to virtually all corners of Mexico. With four governors and 186 mayors, the PAN already governs 25.35 percent of the country’s population. In addition, had the recent elections in the state of Yucatan been cleaner and fair, the PAN possibly would now be governing a fifth state.

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There is, however, another good reason why Ruffo and other panista leaders are confident that they soon could be in a position to govern the country. For the first time in modern Mexico history, an opposition party, PAN, has won a state governorship in two consecutive elections. When he steps down as governor on Nov. 1, Ruffo will be replaced by another panista, Sen. Hector Teran Teran.

It is, of course, uncertain whether PAN can really win in the year 2000. Many of the main obstacles to fair presidential electionsprivileged access to and control of the media by PRI, limited freedom of expression and no effective caps on campaign spendingremain. To assure more control over elections and greater political power, PAN first must win a majority of seats in Congress in 1997.

And Baja California could prove to be an important steppingstone to these national PAN aspirations.

On one hand, the state is now a national symbol. It has demonstrated to Mexicans nationwide that opposition parties, particularly the PAN, can govern.. In a recent poll, 63 percent of the respondents awarded Ruffo good marks for decreasing corruption and making government more efficient.

On the other, Baja promises to lead the nation, at least for six more years, in implementing sweeping changes and reforms. Moreover, reforms introduced here could be contagious, especially in panista territories. As a result, the PAN might strengthen its popularity.

Baja California residents are again ready for change. Under Ruffo, few long-term reforms were instituted, with one notable and consequentialexception. Baja California became the first state to organize its own elections, to issue voter identity cards with a photo of the voter on each cardand, for last August’s elections, to turn over control of the elections to nonpartisan citizens. As a result, elections are significantly cleaner, relatively competitive and peaceful.

But many structural reforms to move Baja toward an even more competitive electoral and democratic system are still pending. For example, some system of checks and balances in government is long overdue. It is urgent that both public and elected officials be accountable to the people they are supposed to serve or represent.

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