The party of Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has continued its consolidation of power by winning four of the six governorships on ballot in local elections, according to electoral authorities.

       National Regeneration Movement — known as Morena — along with its allied parties won in Tamaulipas, Quintana Roo, Oaxaca and Hidalgo on Sunday. An opposition coalition won in Aguascalientes and Durango.

       The victories gave Morena control of 22 of Mexico’s 32 states, a important advantage heading into the 2024 presidential elections.

       “With 22 governorships and a well-evaluated president, everything appears to indicate that Morena shores up first place heading into the presidency in 2024,” said Patricio Morelos, a politics professor at Monterrey Tech university.

       López Obrador has maintained high popularity while Mexico’s opposition has floundered, steadily losing ground. However, so much of Morena’s success is attributed to López Obrador that there are doubts about whether the party will hold together after his term ends, when he says he will retire from politics.

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       “It is a historic day for ‘Obradorism,’” said Mario Delgado, Morena’s president. “We continue advancing and the people keep confirming with their vote that it is an honor to be with Obrador.”