Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s governing Morena party decided on Sunday that a series of five polls over the summer will decide the party’s nomination for the June 2024 presidential election.
All of the four Morena contenders will have to resign their government posts by Friday, including Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, who is considered the frontrunner. That is meant to prevent primary candidates from using their posts to gain an unfair advantage. Each can campaign throughout the summer. The party is desperate to avoid splits and accusations of manipulated polls that have marked past primary races in Morena. The four contenders joined hands and chanted “Unity! Unity! Unity!” after the announcement.
Mexico’s top diplomat, Marcelo Ebrard, has already said he will resign this week. Rounding out the field is Senator Ricardo Monreal and Interior Secretary Adán López, who is no relation to the president. Two allied parties, the Green and Labor parties, will also field one primary candidate apiece for the coalition’s nomination.
Morena has risen to national domination quickly following López Obrador’s election in 2018. He cannot run again, and has said he will retire completely from politics after his term ends in September 2024.
But the Morena party revolves largely around the president’s personal popularity, and López Obrador has not managed to forge it into a cohesive force.