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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.

Polls give Lopez Obrador's National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) a commanding lead in the presidential race, currently making the election appear a battle between the ruling party's own contenders. Mexican law bars presidents from re-election.