Claudia Sheinbaum won a landslide victory to become Mexico’s first female president, inheriting the project of her mentor and outgoing leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador whose popularity among the poor helped drive her triumph.
Sheinbaum, a climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, won the presidency with between 58.3% and 60.7% of the vote, according to a rapid sample count by Mexico’s electoral authority. That is set to be the highest vote percentage in Mexico’s democratic history.
Mexico is to have two women from its main political powers competing for the presidency for the first time after former Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum was chosen as the candidate for the country’s ruling party in next June’s election.
Ms Sheinbaum and opposition candidate Xochitl Galvez have insisted Mexico is ready to be led by a woman, but it will not be an easy path.
On Wednesday night, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s Morena party announced that Ms Sheinbaum had defeated five internal party rivals – all men.
Mr Lopez Obrador has put women in important positions in his Cabinet and been a mentor for Ms Sheinbaum, even while being accused at times of male chauvinism.