Leftist Claudia Sheinbaum was elected as Mexico’s first female president with an overwhelming lead, in an election described as “historic” by world leaders and her political mentor, outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Sheinbaum, a 61-year-old scientist of Jewish origin, obtained between 58% and 60% of the votes, according to the quick count by the National Electoral Institute (INE). She will face the enormous challenge of containing drug trafficking and gender violence, which kills around 30,000 people a year in Mexico.
The result places her about 32 points ahead of her center-right rival Xóchitl Gálvez, who received between 26% and 28% of the votes. “I will not fail you,” an emotional and smiling Sheinbaum, 61, told Mexicans.
López Obrador Celebrates Sheinbaum’s Triumph
López Obrador, Mexico’s first leftist president and Sheinbaum’s political mentor, celebrated the triumph as a “historic” and “glorious” event, while confirming that after handing over power to her on October 1, he will leave politics.
“I am going to retire with great satisfaction, I will be able to say when I hand the presidential sash to Claudia, ‘mission accomplished’, and retire,” said the 70-year-old president, whose popularity of over 60% was key to Sheinbaum’s triumph, according to analysts.
International Congratulations Pour In
U.S. President Joe Biden congratulated Sheinbaum “on her historic election as the first woman president of Mexico,” and said he looks forward to working with her “in a spirit of partnership and friendship,” according to a White House statement.
The European Union and a list of leaders including Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, and several Latin American leaders such as Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also welcomed her election.
We Have All Arrived
“I do not arrive alone. We have all arrived, with our heroines who gave us a homeland, with our ancestors, our mothers, our daughters, and our granddaughters,” Sheinbaum said upon learning the results.
“For the good of all, the poor first,” she later promised in a speech at the Zócalo, the country’s main square, before an euphoric crowd waving flags and mariachi music.
Gálvez, Sheinbaum’s main rival, quickly admitted defeat. In third place, former deputy Jorge Álvarez Máynez (center) garnered between 9.9% and 10.8% of the votes.
Sheinbaum’s Challenges Ahead
Sheinbaum, a physicist and former mayor of Mexico City, will govern the world’s 12th largest economy with 129 million inhabitants until 2030.
“Our society is violent, macho, misogynistic, and Dr. Sheinbaum as president will be able to really help change not only the laws but also society and culture. Mexico cannot stand any more violence,” said Lol-Kin Castañeda, 48. The leftist Clara Brugada was also elected mayor of Mexico City, a leftist stronghold for almost three decades.
The ruling party also achieved the necessary majority in Congress to reform the Constitution (2/3) and possibly in the Senate, according to quick count projections.
Political Violence Mars Elections
Violence marred these elections, with around 30 candidates killed, according to the NGO Data Cívica. A candidate for a local position, a party activist, and a woman were murdered in recent hours in the country’s interior, authorities reported.
Since 2006, the government has added the military to the fight against organized crime, with 450,000 people killed in Mexico and tens of thousands missing.
With some 20,000 positions at stake, including the bicameral Congress and nine of 32 governorships, these were the largest elections in the country’s history.
Contrasting Visions
Sheinbaum’s supporters believe she will continue López Obrador’s programs. They highlight her efficiency as mayor of Mexico City (2018-2023) and see her as an inspiration in this country with high rates of gender violence, where around 10 women are killed daily, including femicides and intentional homicides, according to UN Women.
López Obrador distributed millions in direct aid to the elderly, youth, and the disabled, lifting 8.9 million people out of poverty. One-third of the population still lives in poverty.
The expansion of organized crime “is the most intimidating problem” that Sheinbaum will face, said Michael Shifter, a researcher at the Washington-based think tank Inter-American Dialogue.
She will also face the challenge of maintaining social programs as the fiscal deficit has risen to 5.9% of GDP and average growth over the past six years has been just 0.8%.
Another challenge will be the relationship with the United States, the destination for 80% of Mexican exports, especially if Donald Trump returns to power, Shifter warned.
Trump threatened mass deportations of migrants crossing the nearly 3,200 km binational border. Additionally, in 2026, the two countries and Canada will have to renegotiate their T-MEC trade agreement.
