Claudia Sheinbaum makes history as Mexico’s first female president after landslide victory

Claudia Sheinbaum was elected asMexico’s first femalepresident, on Sunday (Jun 2) afterofficial quick count showedthat she holds anirreversible lead in the race and her rivalrecogniseddefeat.

Preliminary official results

Sheinbaum, according to the quick count byNational Electoral Institute, had garnered between58.3 per cent and 60.7 per cent of the vote, while her rivalXochitl Galvez had between 26.6 per cent to 28.6 per cent votes.

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The candidate for the ruling party was alsoleading the presidential race with 30 per cent ofpolling place tallies counted by Mexico’s electoral authority.

According toMexico’s electoral authority,Sheinbaum is leading with more than 57 per cent of the vote, whileGalvez is trailing withnearly 30 per cent of the vote.

The announcement came after all exit polls had predicted a landslide victory for the ruling party's candidate.

Theprojections by Mexico’s electoral agency also shows that the President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’sMorena party will hold a congressional majority, which would allowSheinbaum topush through her agenda with ease.

'I won't fail you'

“I will become the first woman president of Mexico,”Sheinbaum said in her victory speech shortly after theelectoral authorities announced herirreversible lead.

"I want to thank millions of Mexican women and men who decided to vote for us on this historic day," the president-electtold thecrowd as flag-waving supporters sang and danced to mariachi music in Mexico City's main square celebrating the ruling party candidate's victory, according to AFP.

She vowed, "I won't fail you." The61-year-old former Mexico City mayor anda scientist by trainingalso thanked her main rivalGalvez, who conceded defeat.

In her speech, on Monday (Jun 3)morning, the main opposition candidate recognised herdefeat and said that theresults “aren’t in my favor” and thatshe calledSheinbaum to concede.

Galvez,who has been highly critical ofSheinbaum and her political mentorObrador, said she would continue to “defend democracy”.

Mexico’s historic elections

The head of the ruling Morena party Mario Delgado told supporters in Mexico City thatSheinbaum had won by a “very large” margin, even before the results were announced.

The ruling party has also declared its candidate the winner of the Mexico City mayorship race, while the opposition disputed that and claims its own nominee won the contest. The mayorship race for the capital is also among the country’s most important ones.

Mexico City is one of the nine states choosing its governor on Sunday.Prior to the election, Morena controlled the governorships in 23 of Mexico’s 32 states.

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Mexican women headed to the polls cheered at the prospect of a woman breaking the highest political glass ceiling.

“A female president will be a transformation for this country, and we hope that she does more for women,” said Clemencia Hernandez, a 55-year-old cleaner in Mexico City, as quoted by AFP.

The news agency reports that around 10 women or girls are murdered every day in Mexico.

Sheinbaum's victorymarks amajor step for Mexico which is plagued by rampant criminal and gender-based violence. The president-elect will begin hersix-year term on October 1.

An election marred by violence

Hours before the polls opened, a local candidate, Israel Delgado, 35, was fatally shot on Saturday (Jun 1) night near his home, said the Michoacan state prosecutor’s office in a statement.

Two people died on Sunday after attacks on polling stations in the central Mexican state of Puebla, a local government security source told AFP.

According to the report, one of the victims died after unknown people entered a polling station in the state’s Coyomeapan to steal election papers. The other person was reportedly killed in a shootout after an attack on a polling station in Tlapanala.

At least 25 other political hopefuls were killed this election season, according to official figures.

(With inputs from agencies)