On Sunday, the procedure to elect the presidential candidate of the ruling party in Mexico will be confirmed. One year away from the presidential elections, the coalition led by the National Regeneration Movement (Morena) is underway, formed by the Workers’ Party (PT) and the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (PVEM).
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador kicked off the process by mentioning that the pre-campaigns to obtain the candidacy have already begun. Intense competition is expected, as polls agree that this alliance will triumph again in the June 2, 2024 elections, just as it did in 2018. The winner will receive the presidential sash from López Obrador on October 1.
Before obtaining the presidential candidacy, Morena’s National Council will meet on Sunday in a crucial meeting to define the mechanism of the internal contest. Claudia Sheinbaum, head of the Mexico City government and leader in the polls, will participate in the meeting, as will the secretaries of Foreign Affairs and the Interior, Marcelo Ebrard and Adán Augusto López, respectively, and Senator Ricardo Monreal, who are Morena’s pre-candidates. Also present will be Deputy Gerardo Fernández Noroña of the PT and Senator Manuel Velasco of the PVEM, who have already joined the electoral competition on behalf of their parties.
It was previously agreed that the candidacy would be decided through a national poll to be held in August, and the winner of the poll would be the official candidate. In the meantime, the official candidate will be designated as coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Fourth Transformation, the name given by López Obrador to his administration. In addition, the second place in the August poll will secure the coordination of the Morena bench in the Senate as of 2024, and the third place will lead the fraction in the Chamber of Deputies. The fourth position will occupy a prominent position in the next cabinet.
It has been agreed that the aspirants will have to resign from the positions they hold. Marcelo Ebrard announced his resignation as Chancellor by June 12, while Augusto López and Sheinbaum are still awaiting the conclusion of Sunday’s National Council to confirm when they will leave their respective positions.
Among the Morena candidates, Marcelo Ebrard has emphasized the importance of having a fair competition without intervention from the president, as there has been speculation that Sheinbaum is López Obrador’s “favorite.” However, the president has assured that he will not intervene in the election and that the candidacy will be decided through a poll conducted by the people.
López Obrador has stressed the importance of maintaining unity in the party and the coalition, regardless of who wins the candidacy. In the interest of unity, he recognized Fernández Noroña and Velasco as aspirants and emphasized that this process will strengthen democracy in Mexico.