Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gains ground in Mexico polls

Leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is gaining in the final month of Mexico's presidential race, polls indicated Thursday.

Lopez Obrador has gained seven more percentage points, reported Fox News. As head of the Workers Party, the Party of the Democratic Revolution and the Citizens Movement, he has the support of 34 percent of likely voters, putting him only four points behind the political race's front-runner.

More from GlobalPost: Josefina Vázquez Mota picked for Mexico presidential candidate

Analysts said student protests might be what is deteriorating Enrique Peña Nieto's lead and appearance of invincibility, according to the Associated Press. Protesters have claimed a win by the Institutional Revolution Party, which Peña Nieto heads, would put Mexico back in its authoritarian past, since it has held the presidency for 71 years.

"I am very happy" about the poll numbers, said Lopez Obrador at a press conference, according to Fox. A former Mexico City mayor, Lopez Obrador said Peña Nieto, whom he referred to as "the candidate of television," was "deflating."

Earlier in the presidential race, the preliminary results were considered almost final, when Peña Nieto was ahead of the other two candidates by 15 to 20 percent, said the AP. The new poll said about 32 percent of voters were still undecided or without a preference.