Claudia Sheinbaum Makes History As First Female President Of Mexico

Claudia Sheinbaum has been elected as Mexico’s first female president in a resounding win, achieving a historic victory. 

According to Mexico’s official electoral authority, preliminary results indicate that the 61-year-old former mayor of Mexico City secured between 58% and 60% of the vote in Sunday’s election.

This gives her an almost 30-point lead over her closest competitor, businesswoman Xóchitl Gálvez.

She is set to succeed her mentor, outgoing President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, on 1 October.

Sheinbaum, a former energy scientist, has pledged to maintain continuity, promising to further the “advances” made by López Obrador.

 “I won’t fail you,” she said assuring the people in her victory speech. 

Her supporters are celebrating in the Zócalo, Mexico City’s main square, waving banners that read “Claudia Sheinbaum, president.”

Before her presidential bid, Sheinbaum served as the mayor of Mexico City, one of the country’s most powerful political roles, often seen as a stepping stone to the presidency.

Her experience and activism during her student years eventually led to her appointment as secretary of the environment for Mexico City while Andrés Manuel López Obrador was the city’s mayor.

In 2018, she became the first female mayor of Mexico City, a position she held until 2023, when she resigned to run for president.

The election, which saw  Sheinbaum compete against Gálvez, has been hailed as a transformative moment for women in Mexico.

Edelmira Montiel, 87, expressed her gratitude for being alive to witness a woman elected to the highest office.

“Before, we couldn’t even vote, and when you could, it was to vote for the person your husband told you to vote for,” she told Reuters news agency, noting that women were only granted the right to vote in national elections in 1953.

Although the participation of two women as leading candidates was celebrated, the electoral period was overshadowed by violent assaults.

In addition to choosing a new president, voters were tasked with electing all members of Mexico’s Congress, governors in eight states, the head of Mexico City’s government, and thousands of local officials.

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