Mexico elects Claudia Sheinbaum as first woman president

Addis Ababa, June 2, 2024 (FBC) – Claudia Sheinbaum has been elected as Mexico’s first woman president in an historic landslide win.

Mexico’s official electoral authority said preliminary results showed the 61-year-old former mayor of Mexico City winning between 58% and 60% of the vote in Sunday’s election.

That gives her a lead of almost 30 percentage points over her main rival, businesswoman Xóchitl Gálvez.

Ms Sheinbaum will replace her mentor, outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, on 1 October.

Ms Sheinbaum, a former energy scientist, has promised continuity, saying that she will continue to build on the “advances” made by Mr López Obrador.

In her victory speech, she told voters: “I won’t fail you.”

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

Prior to running for president, Ms Sheinbaum was mayor of Mexico City, one of the most influential political positions in the country and one that is seen as paving the way for the presidency. BBC