Claudia Sheinbaum has made history as Mexico’s first female president, winning a decisive victory in Sunday’s election. According to Mexico’s official electoral authority, preliminary results show the 61-year-old former mayor of Mexico City securing between 58% and 60% of the vote, leading her main rival, businesswoman Xóchitl Gálvez, by about 30 percentage points.
Sheinbaum will succeed her mentor, outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, on 1 October.
Standing in front of a Mexican flag, Sheinbaum addressed a jubilant crowd in the Zocalo, Mexico’s largest public square, stating, “I’m not coming here alone but with all Mexican women.” Her supporters had gathered for hours, celebrating her victory. Throughout her campaign, Sheinbaum revealed a more relaxed persona, though her aides assure she will govern with the same dedication and rigour she has always shown.
Sheinbaum, a former energy scientist, has pledged to continue the policies of López Obrador, focusing on expanding welfare programmes. In her victory speech, she emphasised the historic nature of her win, noting, “For the first time in the 200 years of the [Mexican] Republic, I will become the first woman president of Mexico.” She dedicated her achievement to all women, declaring, “I’ve said it from the start, this is not just about me getting [to the top office], it’s about all of us getting here.” She added, “I won’t fail you.”
Sheinbaum also extended gratitude to her opponent, Xóchitl Gálvez, who conceded defeat.
Before her presidential run, Sheinbaum served as mayor of Mexico City, a key political role that often paves the way to the presidency. Sheinbaum’s Jewish maternal grandparents fled the Nazis, immigrating to Mexico from Bulgaria, while her paternal grandparents were from Lithuania. Sheinbaum’s academic background includes a degree in physics and a doctorate in energy engineering.
Her scientific career included significant research on Mexican energy consumption and climate change at a renowned lab in California. Her activism and expertise led to her appointment as Mexico City’s secretary of the environment under then-mayor López Obrador. In 2018, she became the first female mayor of Mexico City, a position she held until 2023 when she decided to run for president.
This election, featuring two female frontrunners, has been hailed as a significant milestone for women in Mexico. Edelmira Montiel, 87, expressed her gratitude, telling Reuters, “Before, we couldn’t even vote, and when you could, it was to vote for the person your husband told you to vote for. Thank God that has changed and I get to live it.” Women in Mexico were first allowed to vote in national elections in 1953.
Despite the historic nature of the election, the campaign was marred by violence. Voters also elected members of Congress, governors in eight states, the head of Mexico City’s government, and thousands of local officials. Local candidates, in particular, were targeted, with over 20 reportedly killed across Mexico, though other surveys suggest the total could be as high as 37. Gálvez criticised the government and Sheinbaum for the ongoing violence, promising to confront crime if elected, but offered few specifics on combating powerful criminal cartels.
After Sheinbaum’s lead became insurmountable, Gálvez called her, saying, “I told her I saw a Mexico with a lot of pain and violence. I wished that she could solve the severe problems our people have.”
The election results also brought concerns among investors. The Morena party, founded by López Obrador, and its allies’ strong performance in congressional elections raised the possibility of constitutional changes that could reduce checks and balances on government power.
As Sheinbaum’s supporters celebrated in Mexico City’s central square, the Mexican peso fell 3.3% to 17.62 against the dollar, its lowest level since November, while the IPC stock index dropped 4.8%.
