Claudia Sheinbaum made was elected as Mexico’s first woman president by a landslide on Sunday (June 2), making history in a country plagued by rampant criminal and gender-based violence.
Supporters sang and danced to mariachi music in Mexico City’s main square celebrating the ruling party candidate’s victory.
“I want to thank millions of Mexican women and men who decided to vote for us on this historic day,” Sheinbaum told the cheering crowd.
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“I won’t fail you,” the 61-year-old former Mexico City mayor vowed.
Sheinbaum, a scientist by training, won around 58 to 60 per cent of votes, according to preliminary official results from the National Electoral Institute, which estimated turnout at 60 per cent.
That was more than 30 percentage points ahead of Galvez, and some 50 percentage points ahead of the only man running Jorge Alvarez Maynez.
Nearly 100 million people were registered to vote in the world’s most populous Spanish-speaking country, home to 129 million people.
Sheinbaum owes much of her popularity to outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a fellow leftist and mentor who has an approval rating of more than 60 percent but is only allowed to serve one term.
Lopez Obrador congratulated his ally with “all my affection and respect.”
As well as being the first woman to lead Mexico, “she is also the president with possibly the most votes obtained in the history of our country,” he said.
After casting her ballot, Sheinbaum revealed she had not voted for herself but for a 93-year-old veteran leftist, Ifigenia Martinez, in recognition of her struggle.
The next president will also have to manage delicate relations with the neighbouring US, in particular the vexed issues of cross-border drug smuggling and migration.