MEXICO CITY, June 7, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Mexican foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard announced Tuesday he will resign in order to seek the nomination of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's ruling party in next year's presidential election.

Ebrard announced his intent to "present my resignation... with the purpose of fully dedicating myself, with joy and resolution, to defending the project headed by our president."

Lopez Obrador, who leads the Morena party, is limited to one term in office by Mexico's constitution.

But Morena's nomination is far from certain, with several other politicians jockeying for the ticket.

Several polls have Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum winning the nomination.

Whoever wins the primary will have good odds to go on to win the general election, buoyed by Obrador Lopez's current popularity.

Morena, just a decade old, holds power or shares it with its allies in 22 of Mexico's 32 states.

That power was further cemented in a Sunday vote in the state of Mexico, one of the last strongholds of the formerly dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party.

Ebrard's resignation goes into effect Monday.