Claudia Sheinbaum is set to become Mexico's first female president after winning the country's 2024 presidential election. Sheinbaum, 61, received between 58.3% and 60.7% of the vote, and takes office in October. She belongs to the same political party — the Morena party — as her predecessor, outgoing President Andres Manuel López Obrador. The Morena party is a major leftist political party in Mexico. In addition to being Mexico's first woman president, Sheinbaum is also culturally Jewish, and the first Jewish person to be elected president in Mexico.
Though the Morena party was expected to be successful in this election, Sheinbaum won by a lot, which was not necessarily expected. Regardless, it was clear that Mexico was likely going to elect its first female president, as Sheinbaum's main competitor was also a woman.
Xóchitl Gálvez got about 26.6% to 28.6% of the vote, while between 9.9% and 10.8% of the votes went to Jorge Álvarez Máynez.
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Sheinbaum is a former climate scientist and was previously the mayor of Mexico City.
"For the first time in the 200 years of the [Mexican] Republic, I will become the first woman president of Mexico," she said during her victory speech.
The victory is not just about her, though.
"As I have said on other occasions, I do not arrive alone," she said. "We all arrived, with our heroines who gave us our homeland, with our mothers, our daughters, and our granddaughters.”
She also added: "I promise that I am not going to let you down."
The results of the election were also noteworthy because Mexico is also known for its machismo culture, or male chauvinism.
Some hope that the fact that Mexico elected its first female president will also improve women's lives, as per The Guardian. The outlet noted that gender-based violence has gotten worse in Mexico. Abortion was decriminalized in 2023, though The Guardian reported that restrictions vary by state.
In a video that was shared on X, President Andres Manuel López Obrador congratulated Sheinbaum.
"With all my affection and respect I congratulate Claudia Sheinbaum who came out victorious with an ample margin. She will be the first [female] president of Mexico … but also the president, possibly, with most votes obtained in all of the history of our country," he said, reported CNN.
President Joe Biden also shared that he congratulated her.
"I look forward to working with the President-elect in a spirit of partnership and friendship – advancing the values and interests of both our nations to the benefit of our people," he wrote on X.
