Claudia Sheinbaum is set to become Mexico’s first female president in its 200-year history.
Favored to succeed outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Sheinbaum has promised to continue his populist leftist policies. Known for her calm demeanor, the scientist represents a change in style and a break from the male-dominated political culture.
“I promise that I will not let you down,” Sheinbaum told supporters in Mexico City’s Zocalo plaza.
According to the National Electoral Institute, Sheinbaum received between 58.3% and 60.7% of the vote, with opposition candidate Xóchitl Gálvez receiving between 26.6% and 28.6%, and Jorge Álvarez Máynez between 9.9% and 10.8%. Morena, Sheinbaum’s party, is also projected to maintain its majorities in Congress.
Her two main competitors have conceded the election.
Preliminary results show Sheinbaum leading Gálvez by 28 points with nearly 50% of votes counted.
With both leading candidates being women, Mexico was set to make history.
“As I have said on other occasions, I do not arrive alone,” Sheinbaum remarked. “We all arrived, with our heroines who gave us our homeland, with our mothers, our daughters, and our granddaughters.”
Sheinbaum will also be the first person of Jewish heritage to lead the predominantly Catholic country.
She will begin her six-year term on October 1, as Mexico’s constitution prohibits reelection.
