Claudia Scheinbaum, the candidate of Mexico’s ruling leftist National Regeneration Movement (Morena) party, was overwhelmingly elected as Mexico’s next president in Sunday’s general election.
Sheinbaum, a 61-year-old politician, scientist and academic, will begin her six-year term on October 1 and become Mexico’s first female president, succeeding outgoing far-left President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The new president-elect, who served as Mexico City’s head of government from 2018 to 2023, has vowed to continue the leftist policies of Lopez Obrador and his Morena party, founded by the outgoing president in 2018.
More than 45 million Mexicans headed to the polls on Sunday to choose a new president and lawmakers in general elections, preliminary polls showed. result According to an article published by Mexico’s Electoral Commission (INE), the ruling Morena party and its allies are expected to not only win the presidential election, but also secure an overwhelming majority in Congress. reform Mexican Constitution.
Sunday’s election event Explained In what are considered the most violent incidents in Mexico’s democratic history, local authorities reported two shootings at polling stations in the central Mexican state of Puebla, leaving two people dead. In Tlapanara state, a woman was killed in clashes between armed men who were allegedly trying to steal ballots, and a man was killed in a shooting outside a middle school polling station in the city of Coyomeapan.
A total of 26 candidates killed According to the Mexican government, throughout the electoral process that culminated in Sunday’s vote, the official figures differed from those released by local consulting firm Integria. Claimed At least 34 candidates were reported killed ahead of Sunday’s election. Integri said the murder toll rose to 231, including government and former government officials, politicians and former politicians, family members and collateral victims.
With 82 percent of the votes counted by INE at the time of writing, Scheinbaum, who represents a left-wing coalition of Morena, the Workers’ Party (PT) and Mexico’s Green and Environmental Party (PVEM), received an overwhelming 28.8 million votes, or 58.8 percent of the total.
Her main rival, main opposition candidate Xochitl Gálvez, won 13.8 million votes, or 28.1 percent. Expression Three of Mexico’s traditional political parties, the National Action Party (PAN), the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), and the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), came under the umbrella of the PRI. The PRI ruled Mexico for 71 years, from 1929 to 2000, defeating the PAN and the PRD in succession.
Jorge Alvarez of the center-left Citizen Movement party came in third with 5.1 million votes, or 10.5 percent of the total votes cast. Turnout was 60.13 percent.
The results of the legislative elections were still pending at the time of writing, but in the lower house, Morena and its allies are projected to win between 346 and 380 of the 500 seats. In the senate, Morena and its allies are projected to win between 76 and 88 of the 128 seats.
Any major changes to Mexican law, including amendments to the Mexican Constitution, require a majority of at least 334 members of the House of Representatives and 85 members of the Senate. The ruling Morena party has Expressed The intention to “protect” Lopez Obrador’s leftist reforms by enshrining them in the constitution through reforms.
Scheinbaum addressed supporters on Sunday night, shortly after INE released its first preliminary findings. messageThe president stressed that for the first time a woman will lead Mexico’s government and vowed to continue the “fourth transformation”, the left-wing policies pushed by Lopez Obrador during his six years as president.
“As I have said on other occasions, I am not alone. We are all here with our heroines, our ancestors, our mothers, our daughters and granddaughters who gave us our country,” Scheinbaum said.
“I want to thank the millions of Mexicans who decided to vote for us on this historic day, and also because for the first time in the 200 years of the Republic, I will be the first woman president of Mexico,” she continued.
Mexico’s president-elect said his landslide election victory was “a recognition by the Mexican people of our history, our results, our beliefs and will, but above all, our national plan.”
“Mexico has demonstrated that it is a democratic country,” she argued.
Outgoing Mexican President Lopez Obrador Announced At a press conference Monday morning, he said he had spoken with Scheinbaum following Sunday’s election results.
Lopez Obrador praised elections that ended Sunday with the largest victory for a woman in Mexican history, and praised Sheinbaum as a highly intelligent woman “in terms of both her sensitivity and her degrees.”
“I congratulated her. Imagine what it would mean to hand over the presidency to a woman after Mexico has been ruled exclusively by men for 200 years, I’m very happy,” the outgoing president said.
The outgoing president said he plans to meet with her as soon as he is able, suggesting the two could travel together in the near future.
“We will be together and we will talk a lot. She is very knowledgeable and, as I said, very intelligent,” Lopez Obrador said. “For example, I know her very well because she has traveled the country, campaigned hard, visited many towns, been in the public squares and gauged the feelings of the people.”
Xochitl Galvez, who came in second, Announced She said she called Sheinbaum on Sunday to concede defeat.
Xochitl Galvez, presidential candidate of Mexico’s opposition coalition Courage and Heart of Mexico, speaks with supporters following the results of the general election in Mexico City on June 3, 2024. (Seira Montes/AFP via Getty)
“I told her that I see a lot of pain and violence in Mexico and I hope that she will solve the serious problems of her people. I accepted this result because I love Mexico and I know that if her government does well, our country will do well,” Galvez told supporters, promising to remain an activist.
Scheinbaum has received congratulations from leaders of leftist and authoritarian regimes in Latin America, including the socialist dictator of Venezuela. Nicolas MaduroCuba’s Communist Party President Castro Miguel Diaz-CanelColombia’s far-left president Gustavo Petro.
Former socialist president of Bolivia Who I want to be Late Sunday night, dictator Evo Morales published a video on social media showing himself and Argentina’s former socialist president, Alberto Fernandez, meeting privately with Scheinbaum to congratulate him on his election victory.
The miracle of meeting an enthusiastic Mexican presidential candidate Claudia ShayneAs always, she is very humble and makes a lot of compromises.
Share the joy of victory Alfardez, Marco PorcileMario Delgado, President Morena, Alberto Anaya, President of the PT… pic.twitter.com/AkTX6Ci7qE
— Evo Morales Ayma (@evoespueblo) June 3, 2024
In a social media post, Morales thanked outgoing President Lopez Obrador for being “a moral resource for humanity.” Safe Haven When he tried to steal power in Bolivia in 2019 by rigging elections.
Former Argentine President Fernandez video Meeting on social media.
“I had the honor of embracing the new president of our beloved country, dear Claudia Scheinbaum,” Fernandez’s message read, “and having the honor of receiving the first results with her and her team.”
“A progressive woman will continue in Mexico the great work begun by my beloved Lopez Obrador,” the message continued. “Latin America congratulates. Congratulations, my beloved Claudia.”
Christian K. Caruso is a Venezuelan author documenting life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter. here.
