Former Mexico energy official Ochoa tapped to lead PRI

Former Mexican electricity official Enrique Ochoa is set to be ratified as head of Mexico's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the party said on Tuesday.

Ochoa resigned his post as head of the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) on Friday. He was the only candidate who met all requirements, the party said, adding that an internal committee would meet to ratify his selection later on Tuesday.

Ochoa, 43, took his CFE job in 2014, and was instrumental in crafting President Enrique Peña Nieto's landmark energy reform while serving as deputy energy minister.

Ochoa replaces former governor and veteran federal lawmaker Manlio Fabio Beltrones as leader of the party.

Beltrones stepped down last month after the PRI's dismal performance in regional elections, where the centrist party won only five of the 12 gubernatorial seats up for grabs. It previously held nine.

Ochoa, who holds a doctorate in political science from Columbia University, is known as a loyal ally of Peña Nieto. He is also well regarded among business leaders, and some senior PRI figures in the government would like to see him run for president in 2018.