In a historic election, Claudia Sheinbaum, a climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, is projected to become Mexico’s first female president, marking a significant milestone in the country’s 200-year history.
Sheinbaum announced her victory on Sunday night, sharing that her competitors had conceded. “I will become the first woman president of Mexico,” Sheinbaum declared with a smile during a speech at a downtown hotel, following the announcement by electoral authorities that a statistical sample showed her holding an irreversible lead. “I don’t make it alone. We’ve all made it, with our heroines who gave us our homeland, with our mothers, our daughters and our granddaughters.”
The National Electoral Institute’s president revealed that Sheinbaum garnered between 58.3% and 60.7% of the vote according to the sample. Her main rival, Xóchitl Gálvez, received between 26.6% and 28.6%, while Jorge Álvarez Máynez secured between 9.9% and 10.8%. The preliminary tally, which was initially slow, showed Sheinbaum leading Gálvez by 27 points with 42% of polling place tallies counted shortly after Sheinbaum’s victory speech.
Sheinbaum’s campaign focused on continuing the political direction set by her mentor, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. López Obrador, who won the presidency in 2018 with 53.2% of the vote, congratulated Sheinbaum on her victory. “She is going to be Mexico’s first woman president in 200 years,” he stated, emphasizing the historic nature of her win.
The campaign saw spirited competition, especially from Gálvez, making it the first time in Mexico that the two main presidential contenders were women. Despite the rivalry, Sheinbaum maintained a lead throughout the campaign.
Sheinbaum, described as a “dedicated leftist known for keeping a cool head in times of crisis,” is the granddaughter of Bulgarian and Lithuanian Jewish migrants. However, she is considered less populist and more mainstream compared to López Obrador. Pamela Starr, a professor at the University of Southern California, noted that Sheinbaum is “much more of a mainstream leftist politician” and likely to be “less ideological” than the outgoing president.
In Mexico City’s historic Zocalo plaza, Sheinbaum’s lead did not initially draw the massive, jubilant crowds that greeted López Obrador’s victory in 2018. Among those gathered, Fernando Fernández, a 28-year-old chef, expressed hope for Sheinbaum’s victory but acknowledged existing challenges. “You vote for Claudia out of conviction, for AMLO,” Fernández said, hoping Sheinbaum would address issues like gas prices, crime, and drug trafficking better than her predecessor.
Elsewhere, 28-year-old business administrator Itxel Robledo hoped Sheinbaum would appoint professionals to key positions, while Yoselin Ramírez, 29, expressed a desire for political balance by splitting her vote for other posts.
Gálvez, a tech entrepreneur and former senator, capitalized on public concerns about security, promising a more aggressive stance against organized crime. Despite her efforts, the electoral outcome favored Sheinbaum.
Nearly 100 million people were registered to vote in the election, which also included gubernatorial races in nine of Mexico’s 32 states, and numerous congressional, mayoral, and local positions. The election, the largest in the nation’s history, was seen as a referendum on López Obrador’s presidency, characterized by expanded social programs and an ongoing struggle with cartel violence. His Morena party currently holds a significant number of governorships and a simple majority in Congress. Mexico’s constitution prohibits presidential reelection.
Sheinbaum has pledged to continue López Obrador’s policies, including universal pensions for the elderly and a youth apprenticeship program. Gálvez, who has an Indigenous Otomi background and a compelling personal story of rising from poverty to success, promised to tackle crime more aggressively, contrasting with López Obrador’s “hugs not bullets” policy.
This election marks a new chapter in Mexico’s history, with Claudia Sheinbaum poised to lead the nation into a future shaped by her leadership and policies.
Credit: CBS News
