MEXICO CITY (AP) — Claudia Sheinbaum is set to become Mexico's first female president, making history in the country's 200-year existence. As the favored successor of outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Sheinbaum has pledged to continue his populist leftist policies but brings a distinctly different style. The cool-tempered scientist stands out in Mexico's traditionally male-dominated political landscape.
“I promise that I am not going to let you down,” Sheinbaum said to her supporters at Mexico City’s historic main plaza, the Zocalo.
According to the National Electoral Institute’s president, Sheinbaum secured between 58.3% and 60.7% of the vote, while opposition candidate Xóchitl Gálvez garnered between 26.6% and 28.6%, and Jorge Álvarez Máynez received between 9.9% and 10.8%. Sheinbaum’s Morena party is also projected to retain its majorities in both chambers of Congress. The former Mexico City mayor announced that her opponents had conceded.
With nearly 50% of polling places reporting, Sheinbaum led Gálvez by 28 points, marking a historic election where both leading candidates were women.
“As I have said on other occasions, I do not arrive alone,” Sheinbaum declared after her victory. “We all arrived, with our heroines who gave us our homeland, with our mothers, our daughters, and our granddaughters.”
Sheinbaum will also be Mexico's first president of Jewish heritage in a predominantly Catholic country. Her six-year term will begin on October 1, with no possibility of reelection due to constitutional restrictions.
A leftist, Sheinbaum aims to address economic inequality and enhance the social safety net, much like her mentor López Obrador. Despite spirited competition from Gálvez, the 61-year-old consistently led in the polls.
President López Obrador congratulated Sheinbaum, noting her historic win. “She is going to be Mexico’s first female president in 200 years,” he said, highlighting the significance of her victory.
If the vote margin holds, it would parallel López Obrador's landslide victory in 2018. However, Sheinbaum might not enjoy the same level of fervent support. The crowds celebrating her win in the Zocalo were enthusiastic but smaller compared to the jubilant throngs that greeted López Obrador’s victory.
Sara Ríos, a 76-year-old retired literature professor, expressed optimism. “The only way that we move forward is by working together,” she said. “She is going to work to bring peace to the country, but it is a slow process.”
Fernando Fernández, a 28-year-old chef, supported Sheinbaum due to her connection to López Obrador. He hopes she will improve on issues like gasoline prices, crime, and drug trafficking, which he believes AMLO did not adequately address.
Main opposition candidate Gálvez, a tech entrepreneur and former senator, had advocated for a tougher stance on organized crime. In her concession speech, she demanded results and solutions to the country's serious problems.
López Obrador claims a 20% reduction in historically high homicide rates since taking office in December 2018, though this figure is debated. The real decline in the homicide rate is closer to 4% over six years.
Julio García, a Mexico City office worker, voted for the opposition due to crime concerns. “They’ve robbed me twice at gunpoint. You have to change direction, change leadership,” he said. “Continuing the same way, we’re going to become Venezuela.”
In San Andres Totoltepec, homemaker Stephania Navarrete, 34, planned to vote for Sheinbaum despite reservations about López Obrador and his party. She emphasized the significance of having a female president and the importance of social programs, while expressing concerns about cartel violence.
Nearly 100 million people were registered to vote, with turnout around 60%. The elections, marked by violence, were the largest in Mexico’s history, including gubernatorial, congressional, and local races.
Seen as a referendum on López Obrador, a populist known for expanding social programs but struggling with cartel violence, the election revealed deep divisions in Mexican society regarding the country's future direction.