Claudia Sheinbaum, a 61-year-old scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, secured a historic victory in the presidential election held in Mexico. The outcome, as calculated by Mexico's National Electoral Institute, saw Sheinbaum clinching over 59% of the vote, positioning her as the first female president in the nation's history.
Sheinbaum's win marks a groundbreaking moment for Mexico, with CNN dubbing it "a historic achievement for a country known for its deeply patriarchal culture."
Nominated for the election by the Sigamos Haciendo Historia (Let's Continue Making History) coalition, Sheinbaum's candidacy was backed by three parties, including the ruling Morena party led by incumbent President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who is considered Sheinbaum's political mentor, according to Reuters. Despite widespread support for Obrador's anti-poverty reforms, Mexico's constitution limits presidential terms to six years, rendering him ineligible to run for reelection.
Scheduled to assume office on October 1, Sheinbaum expressed gratitude to her supporters, stating,
“I am grateful that for the first time in 200 years of the republic, I will become the first female president of Mexico.”
Trained as a physicist and holding a Ph.D., Sheinbaum's accolades include co-receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for her contributions to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. She embarked on her political journey in 2000, ascending to the position of the first woman elected head of the Tlalpan district in Mexico City in 2015, where she served until 2017. Subsequently, in 2018, she made history once again by becoming the first female mayor of Mexico City, a role she held until June 2023 when she resigned to contest the presidential election.
The general elections in Mexico, held on June 2, marked a milestone as the largest in the country's history, with a staggering turnout of over 98 mn voters. Alongside the presidential race, more than 20,000 elected positions, including senators and mayors, were up for grabs based on the election results.
Comments (0)