MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexico Energy Secretary Rocio Nahle has presented her resignation and will step down immediately, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday, as she prepares to enter the race for governor of Veracruz state.

Nahle, a 59-year-old chemical engineer who has held office since late 2018, said last month she may run for governor of Veracruz, which borders the Gulf of Mexico and is rich in oil and gas.

“She will be with us in the position until today,” Lopez Obrador said, wishing her the best and thanking her for her work notably on Dos Bocas, a major oil refinery for state producer Pemex in Tabasco that is set to reach full capacity this year.

The refinery aims to help Mexico become energy self-sufficient but has not yet begun to market its products.

In next year’s elections, Nahle could compete on behalf of the ruling MORENA party for governorship against Miguel Angel Yunes of the conservative PAN party, a former Veracruz governor who could seek a comeback to his old office.

Late on Friday, MORENA published a list of its pre-candidates for Veracruz, which alongside Nahle include deputies Sergio Gutierrez Luna and Claudia Tello and the state’s former party president, Manuel Huerta.

The list also includes Eric Cisneros and Zenyazen Escobar, who resigned from their posts as Veracruz government secretary and education secretary, respectively.

The current state governor is MORENA’s Cuitlahuac Garcia.

Nahle sent a message on social messaging platform X thanking Lopez Obrador. “It’s an honor,” she said. “Mission accomplished!”.