Morena Party in Mexico Embarks on Candidate Selection for 2024 Gubernatorial Races

Morena Party in Mexico Embarks on Candidate Selection for 2024 Gubernatorial Races

Morena Party Commences Internal Selection Process

In a significant move in Mexican politics, Morena, the ruling party in Mexico, has kick-started its internal process to choose candidates for the gubernatorial races in nine states, including Mexico City, for the 2024 elections. The party, currently led by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, formally announced the criteria for prospective candidates early on Monday. The party’s national leadership will supervise the process through the National Elections Commission.

As per the party leadership, out of the nine states, five gubernatorial candidates will be male, and four will be female. However, the specific states each gender will represent are yet to be decided. In some cases, the party may conduct a survey to evaluate candidate profiles and select those in the best position. However, this method will not be mandatory for all states. The party further clarified that candidates holding public office do not need to resign to participate in the selection process.

States Up for Gubernatorial Election

The states of Chiapas, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Morelos, Puebla, Tabasco, Veracruz, Yucatan, and Mexico City will be electing new governors in the upcoming election. The dominant Morena party seeks to retain control in six of these states with Claudia Sheinbaum, its presidential candidate. In contrast, the party aims to seize control from the PAN party in Guanajuato and Yucatan and the Citizen Movement party in Jalisco.

Registration and Selection Process

Prospective candidates can register on September 25 and 26. For each state, there can be up to six contenders, three men and three women. The Elections Commission will scrutinize all registration applications and approve the most suitable ones. If more than one application is approved, they will be subjected to a survey or opinion study to determine the final candidate. The result of this opinion study will be final and unappealable.

The eligibility criteria based on the origin or residence of the candidates vary in different states. In Mexico City, the rules are more flexible, with candidates only needing to prove a residence of at least five years. On the other hand, Chiapas has the most stringent requirements, mandating candidates to be born in the state and have a residence of eight years. Other states require a residence of between two and five years.

Requirements for Prospective Candidates

The party leadership has set certain requirements for the candidates. These include passing a course taught by Morena’s cadre school and adhering to strict campaign rules. Candidates are forbidden from conducting “expensive campaigns”, using public resources for their advantage, misusing social programs, coercing votes, benefiting from the intervention of officials, and making “public accusations against the party, its leadership bodies or other candidates”.

Early Aspirants Declare Intentions

Several individuals have already expressed their interest in running for governor. In Mexico City, Omar García Harfuch, the city’s former police chief; Clara Brugada, the ex-mayor of Iztapalapa; and Cuauhtémoc Blanco, a former footballer and governor of Morelos, have declared their aspirations. Morena’s leader, Mario Delgado, has also indicated his intentions in the capital. In other states, official prospects include Ricardo Sheffield, the head of Profeco, for Guanajuato; Rocío Nahle, the Secretary of Energy, for Veracruz; and Javier May, the former head of the Tren Maya project, for Tabasco.