Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard has resigned from his post to enter the primary race of the 2024 Mexican presidential election, and Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum is set to resign on Friday to do the same.
Both Ebrard and Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum belong to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's MORENA (National Regeneration Movement) party, which will use polls to choose four presidential candidates for the upcoming elections. MORENA leaders agreed that the candidates must resign this week in order to compete.
Ebrard said he plans to continue with López Obrador's program, which the president refers to as Mexico's "fourth transformation." "Let's build the continuation, the next stage in the fourth transformation," Ebrard mentioned in his last statement.
On the other hand, Sheinbaum emphasized that it would be the first time that Mexico receives a female leader. “I have made the decision to leave office permanently on June 16, with the aim of becoming the first woman in the history of Mexico to lead the destinies of the nation,” declared the mayor.
Announcing his plan to resign at a press conference on Monday, Sheinbaum, 60, highlighted his credentials as a scientist and environmentalist and called for continuing López Obrador's "transformation" with his "own label."
Most opinion polls give Sheinbaum a slight edge in the race over rival Ebrard. The mayoress noted that in previous polls he had been successful, and commented that she is confident that he will continue to have the greatest support from the public.
MORENA has come to dominate the Mexican political scene since López Obrador was elected in 2018. However, the current president is unable to run for reelection and has vowed to retire from politics after he leaves office in September 2024.
López Obrador's departure poses a problem for MORENA, as the party was built around his personal popularity and has yet to become a cohesive force. Some members come from smaller left-wing parties and some from the former Institutional Revolutionary Party that was in power previously.
The other two hopefuls, Senator Ricardo Monreal and Interior Secretary Adán López, who is not related to the president, are expected to resign or request their removal before Friday's deadline. That being said, all the candidates will be able to carry out their campaigns during the summer. According to President López Obrador, on September 6 he would announce the winner of his internal selection process. Right now, Sheinbaum and Ebrard are competing to be the favorites.
