Mexican interior minister Osorio Chong says standing down

MEXICO CITY, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Mexican Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said on Wednesday that he was stepping down from his post, where he had served since the start of President Enrique Pena's administration in late 2012.

Osorio Chong made the announcement, which had been widely expected, at a speech in Mexico City attended by Pena Nieto.

Osorio Chong had been one of the leading contenders for the presidential candidacy for the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), but the party is backing former finance minister Jose Antonio Meade for the July election.

Standing down will enable Osorio Chong to register his intention to run for the Mexican Senate during the next administration. Senior officials in recent weeks have said privately they believed he could take that step. (Reporting by Veronica Gomez; Editing by Dave Graham)

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