“Claudia Sheinbaum Elected First Female President of Mexico”

Claudia Sheinbaum, a climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, has been elected the first woman President of Mexico. The country’s National Electoral Institute announced that Sheinbaum, the candidate of the ruling Morena party, won the presidential election with 58.3 to 60.7 percent of the votes, the highest percentage in Mexico’s democratic history.

Sheinbaum defeated her nearest rival, Xochitl Galvez, who represented a coalition of conservative parties. The ruling coalition is also on track for a possible two-thirds supermajority in both houses of Congress, allowing it to pass constitutional reforms without opposition support. Galvez conceded defeat after preliminary results showed her receiving between 26.6% and 28.6% of the vote.

“For the first time in the 200 years of the republic, I will become the first woman president of Mexico,” Sheinbaum told supporters, who cheered “president, president.” Her victory marks a significant step for Mexico, a country known for its macho culture and strong Roman Catholic traditions, which have traditionally upheld more conservative values and roles for women.

Sheinbaum is the first woman to win a general election in the United States, Mexico, or Canada. “I never imagined that one day I would vote for a woman,” said 87-year-old Edelmira Montiel, a Sheinbaum supporter from Tlaxcala, Mexico’s smallest state.

Women currently lead several key Mexican institutions, including the Senate, the Supreme Court, and the National Electoral Institute. Mexico ranks third among Latin American nations in terms of women in the national Cabinet at 44%, and it has 10 female governors among its 32 states. However, in some Indigenous villages, men still hold power.

Among the issues Mexican women face are femicide, gender employment gaps, and inadequate policies guaranteeing sexual and reproductive rights. Sheinbaum, 61, will need to address these issues after she takes office on Oct. 1.