  A new basis of states for highest-weight modules in $\ZZ_k$ parafermionic
conformal theories is displayed. It is formulated in terms of an effective
exclusion principle constraining strings of $k$ fundamental parafermionic
modes. The states of a module are then built by a simple filling process, with
no singular-vector subtractions. That results in fermionic-sum representations
of the characters, which are exactly the Lepowsky-Primc expressions. We also
stress that the underlying combinatorics -- which is the one pertaining to the
Andrews-Gordon identities -- has a remarkably natural parafermionic
interpretation.
