Foreign Minister’s Resignation Marks Start of Mexico’s Presidential Succession Julian Resendiz - Border Report
go to original June 11, 2023

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard answers questions from the press as President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador stands behind during the president’s daily morning press conference at the National Palace, in Mexico City. (Marco Ugarte/AP)

The race for the presidency of Mexico begins on Monday when leading contenders to replace Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in 2024 are expected to resign from high-profile government jobs.

This week, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard publicly announced his intent to resign on June 12 “for the purpose of dedicating myself full time – happy and determined – to defend the project of our president.”

Lopez Obrador acknowledged the resignation on Wednesday and said others likely would follow. “This process has started, that is why Marcelo resigned. It is possible that in (the next few) days other hopefuls will present their resignation,” he said.

Mexico elects a new president every six years. The election matters to anyone in the U.S. who invests in Mexico and those whose jobs depend on the $779 billion U.S.-Mexico trade market. The election also is closely followed by the 10.7 million Mexican-born individuals living in the United States, many of whom maintain strong ties with the homeland through remittances and yearly visits.

The president of Mexico has been a key figure in helping the past two American presidents (Donald Trump and Joe Biden), manage a historical migrant crisis at the southern border.

Tony Payan, director of the Center for the United States and Mexico at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, said dozens of politicians have thrown their hat in the ring but two clearly rise above the rest.

One is Ebrard; the other is Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, who has a double-digit lead in most polls. Both belong to Lopez Obrador’s MORENA Party.

MORENA in just a few years has managed to dominate Mexico’s political landscape, but recent regional elections in Coahuila and Estado de Mexico raised some concerns for the party, Payan said.

Populist MORENA candidates lost Coahuila to a pro-business politician and while polls gave the president’s party a 20-point advantage in Estado de Mexico the margin of victory was only 8%.

Read the rest at Border Report

Related: Mexican President Picks Veteran Diplomat to Be Next Foreign Minister (Associated Press)

Related: Mexico’s Governing Party to Decide Its Presidential Nomination by Polling (Associated Press)

Related: Ruling Party Morena to Announce Presidential Candidate on Sept. 6 (Mexico News Daily)

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!