Mexican Attorney General Alejandro Gertz has submitted his resignation, two government sources told Reuters on Thursday.
The resignation of the 86-year-old lawyer has been the subject of speculation amid scrutiny of President Claudia Sheinbaum's government over security issues. Sheinbaum, earlier on Thursday at her daily news conference, in response to a question, said she had received a letter from the Senate regarding Gertz's possible resignation, was reviewing it, and would provide an update on Friday.
"I received a document from the Senate that I'm analyzing," Sheinbaum said.
The high-profile murder in early November of Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan, a city in the violence-ravaged state of Michoacan, has heightened the scrutiny of government security issues.
Gertz was appointed for a nine-year term set to run until 2028
Gertz's resignation must be approved by the Mexican Senate. Gertz, who has served as attorney general since 2019, was originally appointed for a nine-year term set to run until 2028.
Once Gertz's resignation is approved, Sheinbaum would submit three candidates for attorney general to the Senate, which would then appoint a successor via a two-thirds majority vote.
Local media outlets have mentioned Ernestina Godoy, the former Mexico City attorney general and current legal adviser to the president, as a possible successor to Gertz.
The government has not commented on who might be the next attorney general.