Associated Press

Convicted felon and suspended Mayor Raul Martinez led a five-man field for mayor Tuesday and will face former state Rep. Nilo Juri in a runoff next week.

Acting Mayor Julio Martinez, City Councilman Salvatore D'Angelo and political novice Juan Miguel Alfonso also contended for the mayor's seat. Raul Martinez remained convinced that he would be able to overcome his conviction on corruption charges and reclaim the mayor's seat.

''Seventy percent of the people in Hialeah did not believe what happened there,'' he said of the trial after Tuesday's vote. ''We're going to win the election and win the appeal and do what Hialeah needs.''

With all precincts reporting, Raul Martinez had 12,335, 47 percent, to 9,349, or 35.6 percent for Juri. Julio Martinez had 2,511, or 9.6 percent while D'Angelo had 1,905 or 7.3 percent and Alfonso had 166 or less than 1 percent. Voter turnout was 54 percent.

Polls had indicated Raul Martinez , 44, had a strong chance to at least reach the runoff, probably with Juri. At stake is a four-year term in a $75,000-a-year executive position.

Juri predicted that he would win the runoff and that supporters of other candidates would move to him.

Martinez was first elected mayor in 1981, and his populist style made him a popular, powerful leader in the mostly Latin, working-class Dade County city of 188,000 people.

City elections are nonpartisan, but Martinez was an active Democrat who had been considered a likely congressional candidate before his indictment on charges that he extorted nearly $1 million for zoning favors.

He was convicted in 1991 and sentenced to 10 years in prison but has remained free while appealing.