Mexico City mayor to step down to pursue historic bid for presidency

Outgoing Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, one of the leading candidates for the presidential nomination of the ruling MORENA party, gestures during a press conference in Mexico City, Mexico June 12, 2023. REUTERS/Raquel Cunha

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday she will step down this Friday to seek the ruling party's presidential nomination, bidding to become the country's first female leader in an election due to be held next year.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's leftist National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) said on Sunday it would on Sept. 6 announce the winning candidate from its internal selection process. Sheinbaum is one of the favorites.