Claudia Sheinbaum has won a landslide victory to become Mexico’s first female president, inheriting the project of her mentor and outgoing leader, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The leftwing climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City secured between 58.3% and 60.7% of the vote, according to a rapid sample count by Mexico’s electoral authority.
The ruling coalition led by Sheinbaum’s Morena party is on track for a possible two-thirds supermajority in both houses of congress, which would allow it to pass constitutional reforms without opposition support. Opposition candidate Xóchitl Gálvez conceded defeat after preliminary results showed her taking between 26.6% and 28.6% of the vote, while Jorge Álvarez Máynez came third with at least 9.9%.
“For the first time in the 200 years of the republic I will become the first woman president of Mexico,” Sheinbaum told supporters. She will also be the first person from a Jewish background to lead the country. Her victory exceeds the 54.71% achieved by López Obrador in 2018.
The election was the most violent in modern history, with more than 30 candidates killed and hundreds more dropping out. On Sunday, two people were killed at polling stations in the state of Puebla. About 100 million people were registered to vote, with long queues forming in sweltering heat.
Sheinbaum capitalised on support for López Obrador, vowing to continue his policies including cash transfers and infrastructure projects, but also an expanded role for the military. Voters expressed mixed views on Morena, with some praising social programmes and others criticising the outgoing administration.
