The ruling party’s presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum arrives to vote in the general election in Mexico City on Sunday.
Eduardo Verdugo/AP
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Eduardo Verdugo/AP
MEXICO CITY – Claudia Sheinbaum, an environmental scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, was elected Mexico’s first female president on Sunday, a historic milestone in a country plagued by gender-based violence and misogyny.
With nearly 40% of the vote counted, Mexico’s electoral agency estimates that Sheinbaum is on track to win the race with between 58% and more than 60% of the vote. His closest rival, Xóchitl Gálvez is expected to get between 26% and 28% of the vote, with another opposition candidate, Jorge Álvarez Máynez, between 9%-10% of the vote.
In his victory speech to supporters, Sheinbaum said the two rivals acknowledged each other and invited them to congratulate him. “I will be the first woman president of Mexico”, she told the crowd.
The man widely known as his political mentor, outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, sent his congratulations on X, formerly known as twitter.
Sheinbaum has been the leading candidate to win the presidency for more than a year. In a country with one of the highest rates of murder against women in the world, Sheinbaum’s victory underscores the progress women are making in the political sphere.
The 61-year-old climate scientist was part of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change team that went on to share the Nobel Peace Prize with former US Vice President Al Gore in 2007. Now, Sheinbaum – whose grandparents survived the Holocaust – will hold the most powerful post in that country.
Elena Poniatowska, 92, one of Mexico’s most famous writers, has documented decades of women’s history in the country. “I always believe in women,” Poniatowska told NPR, the day before the election. “That’s not a dream. I think this is a battle that has been won.
Despite the historic nature of Sheinbaum’s victory, many voters in Mexico did not see it as a reflection of gender equality and others as a referendum on the last six years of López Obrador, commonly known by his initials as AMLO.
He is one of the most divisive – and popular – figures in Mexican history: a folksy populist who has implemented social programs that have lifted millions out of poverty but who critics say has undermined democratic institutions while strengthening the military.
Ignacio Morales voted for Sheinbaum on Sunday because he has López Obrador’s support, which Morales considers “perfect.”
“I don’t have much life to live, but I will support him until I die,” said the 77-year-old Morales, who is retired. Morales rattled off a list of reasons: López Obrador has started “amazing projects” like a new railway line and an oil refinery; they give monthly pensions to old Mexicans and most importantly, they take care of the poor.
Under the Mexican constitution, the president can only serve one six-year term.
A group of people vote at a polling station in the state of Puebla in Izucar de Matamoros, Mexico. June 2, 2024.
Israel Fuguemann
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Israel Fuguemann
He is a political protégé of López Obrador. He began his political career as environment minister after he was elected mayor of Mexico City in 2000. He has remained steadfast ever since, even supporting his pro-oil energy agenda despite his environmental background.
While Sheinbaum lacks the charisma and popular appeal of López Obrador, he has a reputation for being analytical, disciplined and accurate. Most importantly, they have pledged to support López Obrador’s popular policies and social programs, including universal pensions for the elderly as well as cash payments for low-income residents.
“Claudia represents the continuation of AMLO,” said Norma Bautista Herrera, who sells vegetables at a market in Mexico City. After López Obrador’s election in 2018, Bautista Herrera began receiving a monthly payment of $660 pesos, about $38, to help him support his 11-year-old daughter. With that money, he bought household items like soap, eggs, sugar and Clorox.
Gálvez, Sheinbaum’s closest competitor for the presidency, is an indigenous, pro-business technology entrepreneur who represents several opposition parties. Despite his heartwarming life story, Gálvez could not rid himself of the corruption and disenchantment that voters associated with the party.
Many who voted for Gálvez were motivated more by his promise of a break from López Obrador and the electoral strength of Morena’s party than by Gálvez’s campaign promises. In a country that saw one-party rule for 70 years until 2000, they are worried about Lopez Obrador’s moves to undermine the independence of the judiciary and his security policies that have led to a record high number of murders.
“He’s a dictator, and Sheinbaum is a puppet,” said Almarosa Anaya, standing outside a polling station in Mexico City’s upscale Roma Norte neighborhood with her two grown daughters. He said López Obrador wants to turn Mexico into a communist country, “like Venezuela and Cuba.”
This election also made history for another grim reason: It was one of the most violent. During this election, more than 30 candidates were killed.
A group of family and friends carried the coffin of Jorge Huerta Cabrera, 31, who was a councilor candidate for the Green Party, and was killed on May 31, two days before the vote. in San Nicolas Tolentino, Mexico, June 2, 2024.
Israel Fuguemann
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Israel Fuguemann
In the small town of San Nicolás Tolentino in the state of Puebla, voting continued as usual. But at a nearby church, family and friends gathered for Jorge Luis Huerta Cabrera’s funeral.
Huerta ran for city council as a candidate for the Green party but was shot dead there. As people voted, Huerta’s casket was carried through town. Church bells rang and fireworks exploded at noon.
“Nobody knows who’s next,” said Huerta’s father, José Huerta Moctezuma.
His son, he said, always told him that he was born for politics. “He’s hardheaded,” he said. “He did what he wanted.”
In the end, he said, it was members of a rival party who shot him to death.
“We need reforms that change the social fabric, that bring peace and justice, because it is not fair that we are forced to live like this.”
Sheinbaum will have to deal with rising violence and a host of other issues when she takes office on October 1.St.
They have an important task, but face significant challenges.
They have to deal with the biggest budget deficit since the 1980s, the growing power of cartels, and a very complicated relationship with the US.
