Mexico's ruling PRI, allies close to lower house majority: estimate

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and its allies are close to winning a majority in the lower house of Congress, but could fall just short, the country's national electoral institute (INE) said late on Sunday. A preliminary INE estimate of the seat distribution in the 500-strong lower house after national elections on Sunday gave the PRI and its allies between 246 and 263 members, the institute's president Lorenzo Cordova said. The PRI and its allies, the Green Party and the smaller New Alliance Party (PANAL) currently have 251 seats in the lower house. The PRI and its partners are a few seats short of a majority in the Senate, which was not up for election on Sunday. (Reporting by Dave Graham and David Alire Garcia)