MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -More top officials could soon follow the foreign minister in quitting to compete for the presidency, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday, as the race to succeed him begins to thin out the government.
Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, one of the favorites to be Mexico’s next leader, said on Tuesday evening he would resign next week to focus on his campaign to become the candidate for the ruling leftist National Regeneration Movement (MORENA).
Ebrard made the announcement after months of making the argument that MORENA’s presidential hopefuls should step down to ensure a level playing field in the contest to succeed Lopez Obrador, whose time in office will end on Sept. 30, 2024.
It appears Ebrard is winning that argument, and several key aides to the president look poised to follow him soon.
The party is due to hold a board meeting on Sunday to set out the rules for the internal contest.
MORENA party chairman Mario Delgado said after Ebrard’s announcement that the presidential contenders would ultimately need to step down to ensure the competition was fair.
If MORENA’s board decides that on Sunday, then Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum and Interior Minister Adan Augusto Lopez, two other top contenders, would need to resign, Lopez Obrador said at a regular press conference.
So too could Ricardo Monreal, MORENA’s Senate leader, who has also been bidding for the presidency.
Lopez Obrador made the remark after observing that more contenders could follow Ebrard’s lead in the next few days.
Recent polling has tended to give Sheinbaum a slight edge over Ebrard in the race to capture the nomination. MORENA is strongly favored to win the June 2024 election, polls show.
Mexican presidents are limited to a single six-year term.
Supporters of Ebrard argue his post does not allow him to focus as much on domestic issues as Sheinbaum and interior minister Lopez. The two have not been eager to take up his plan.
Lopez Obrador did not immediately name a replacement for Ebrard, who is due to step down next Monday.
“I have time to think about who can replace him,” he said.
(Reporting by Dave Graham and Stefanie Eschenbacher in Mexico CityEditing by Matthew Lewis and David Gregorio)
