Mexico succession puts scientist on path to be first woman president

FILE PHOTO: Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum greets supporters as she arrives at the National Auditorium to present her fourth city government report address, in Mexico City, Mexico, October 3, 2022. REUTERS/ Luis Cortes/File Photo

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The most historic legacy of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a left-leaning resource nationalist who casts his administration as a turning point in the annals of Mexico, may be to pave the way for the country's first woman leader.

Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, a 60-year-old physicist, environmentalist and longstanding ally of Lopez Obrador who has governed as mayor in tandem with his presidency, has emerged as early front-runner to be his party's candidate in 2024, despite hints she could be more moderate than him.