Mexican interior minister resigns to seek presidency
Mexican President Vicente Fox accepted Wednesday the resignation of Interior Minister Santiago Creel who is seeking the presidential candidacy of the ruling National Action Party (PAN) for next year's elections.

Creel made the resignation announcement Monday evening in Washington where he was having a meeting with US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. The resignation became effective Tuesday.

Creel will vie for the PAN candidacy with Francisco Barrio (former governor of Chihuahua state), Felipe Calderon (former party leader) and Environment Minister Alberto Cardenas.

Recent polls show Creel as his own party's strongest candidate, but still trailing contenders from rival parties. He ranked third in voter preference.

The principal opponents of Creel would be Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, of left-wing Democratic Revolution Party, and Roberto Madrazo, leader of the Revolutionary Institutional Party, which ruled Mexico for 71 years running till it lost power with Fox's historic election in 2000.

Creel, 50, a US-educated lawyer, was appointed interior minister of the Fox administration after the PAN victory in 2000, overseeing domestic political and security affairs. He is widely seen as Fox's favorite to represent the party in the July 2006 elections.

Presidential Spokesman Ruben Aguilar said Fox will announce Thursday the replacement of Creel and added that the next interior minister will come from the ruling PAN. Vice Interior Minister Felipe Gonzalez is temporarily taking Creel's place.