Claudia Sheinbaum wins the presidency of Mexico in historic elections

The ruling party’s candidate, Claudia Sheinbaum, won the historic presidential elections in Mexico, which for the first time will have a woman as head of state, according to the National Electoral Institute (INE), which gave Sheinbaum an irreversible advantage over the rest of the the applicants.

“For the first time in 200 years of the Republic, I will become the first female president of Mexico,” Sheinbaum said early Monday morning when addressing her followers, who waited hours to hear the candidate.

In the first results of the quick count, Sheinbaum accumulated between 58.3% and 60.7% of the votes, according to preliminary data from the INE, which places the candidate well ahead of her closest rival, the opposition Xóchilt Gálvez, with 26.6% to 28.6% of the votes, while the third candidate, Jorge Álvarez Máynez, gathered barely 10%.

“I recognize that the trends for the presidential election do not favor me and that there is no information that suggests that this could change during the district calculations,” Gálvez said during his concession speech after learning of the INE data.

The victory of the close ally of outgoing president Andrés Manuel López Obrador means an important step for a country known for its sexist culture and deep religiosity.

Before the National Electoral Institute (INE) released the figures of the official vote count, several media outlets and the ruling Morena party had already projected the victory of Sheinbaum, who only addressed his followers once the results were announced. official preliminary results.

The 61-year-old scientist is the first woman to win a general election in the United States, Mexico or Canada. In October she will become the president of Latin America’s second largest economy, in a term that will last six years.

Cordial relationship with the US, respect for the press and businessmen

During his campaign, Sheinbaum promised to continue the legacy of the leftist López Obrador, albeit with slight adjustments.

The new president faces challenges such as insecurity, corruption, stopping violence linked to organized crime, continuing to stimulate the economy, promoting renewable energy and reducing public debt.

In her first words after being projected as the new president, Sheinbaum gave some advances about how she will lead her government starting next October 1.

He assured that during his mandate he will promote renewable energies, respect press and business freedoms, as well as continue the social programs of his predecessor and close ally, President López Obrador.

He also insisted that he will maintain a relationship of mutual respect with the United States, which will also choose a new leader next November.

Engineer, Nobel winner and first female mayor of the capital

The 61-year-old engineer was mayor of Mexico City from 2018 to 2023, where she was also the first woman to hold the position.

Born on June 24, 1962 in the Mexican capital, Sheinbaum comes from a leftist tradition prior to the nationalist and populist movement of the outgoing Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Originally from the Mexican capital, the new president-elect is the granddaughter of Jewish immigrants from Lithuania and Bulgaria, although she grew up without practicing any religion in Mexico, something rare in Mexico.

His parents were prominent activists in the Mexican student democratic movement of 1968, which ended tragically with the massacre of hundreds of students demonstrating in the capital’s Tlatelolco Square, days before the start of the Olympic Games in the city.

Sheinbaum’s challenge has been to build his own image without stepping out of the long shadow of López Obrador, a legendary activist known for his fiery speeches and his smiling and folksy charisma.

Sheinbaum is an environmental engineering specialist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for her role on the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

[Con información de Reuters y The Associated Press]

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