In Mexico’s 200-year history, Claudia Sheinbaum, the presumptive winner, will be the first female president.
According to the National Electoral Institute’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum received between 58.3% and 60.7% of the vote, while opposition candidate Xóchitl Gálvez got between 26.6% and 28.6%, and Jorge Álvarez Máynez had between 9.9% and 10.8%. Sheinbaum’s Morena party is also expected to control both houses of Congress.
Sheinbaum, a climate scientist and former Mexico City mayor, said her competitors called to concede. The preliminary count showed Sheinbaum leading Gálvez by 28 points with nearly half of the votes counted.
With the two leading candidates being women, it was certain Mexico would make history. Sheinbaum, the first person of Jewish heritage to lead the predominantly Catholic country, will start her six-year term on October 1, as re-election is not allowed.
A leftist, Sheinbaum aims to address economic inequality and provide a robust social safety net, following in the footsteps of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Her victory indicates that López Obrador’s political movement will continue beyond his presidency. Despite a strong challenge from Gálvez, Sheinbaum led the campaign from start to finish. This election marked the first time Mexico’s top two contenders were women.
“Of course, I congratulate Claudia Sheinbaum with all my respect who ended up the winner by a wide margin,” López Obrador said shortly after the electoral authorities’ announcement. “She is going to be Mexico’s first (woman) president in 200 years.”
More on the election
Nearly 100 million people were registered to vote, and turnout was about 60%, similar to past elections.
Voters also elected governors in nine of the country’s 32 states and chose candidates for Congress, thousands of mayorships, and other local positions. These elections, the largest in Mexico’s history, were marked by violence.
The elections were seen as a referendum on President López Obrador, a populist who expanded social programs but struggled to reduce cartel violence. His Morena party currently controls 23 of 32 governorships and a simple majority in both houses of Congress.
Sheinbaum promised to continue López Obrador’s policies, including a universal pension for the elderly and a youth apprenticeship program.
Voters were mainly concerned with ongoing cartel violence and Mexico’s moderate economic performance.
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