Sheinbaum, who previously served as the mayor of Mexico City, confirmed that her opponents, Xóchitl Gálvez and Jorge Álvarez Máynez, had acknowledged her victory and conceded the race.
Speaking from a hotel in downtown Mexico City, Sheinbaum announced, “I will become the first woman president of Mexico,” shortly after the National Electoral Institute revealed a statistical sample indicating her substantial lead, as reported by The Associated Press. She added, “I don’t make it alone. We’ve all made it, with our heroines who gave us our homeland, with our mothers, our daughters and our granddaughters.”
According to the National Electoral Institute, Sheinbaum secured between 58.3% and 60.7% of the vote. Gálvez, the main opposition candidate, garnered between 26.6% and 28.6%, while Álvarez Máynez received between 9.9% and 10.8%. Sheinbaum’s party, Morena, is also projected to maintain majorities in both chambers of Congress.
Sheinbaum, who will also be the first Jewish leader of predominantly Catholic Mexico, will begin her six-year term on October 1. According to the Mexican constitution, re-election is not possible.
Echoing the policies of her mentor, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Sheinbaum has advocated for a government that actively combats economic inequality and supports a robust social safety net. López Obrador praised Sheinbaum’s victory, stating, “Of course, I congratulate Claudia Sheinbaum with all my respect who ended up the winner by a wide margin,” and noted, “She is going to be Mexico’s first (woman) president in 200 years.”
During her concession, Gálvez emphasized her expectations for the new administration: “I want to stress that my recognition (of Sheinbaum’s victory) comes with a firm demand for results and solutions to the country’s serious problems.”
The election has highlighted the public’s concern over safety and governance, with citizens like Julio García expressing their frustrations. García, a victim of armed robbery, told the AP, “They’ve robbed me twice at gunpoint. You have to change direction, change leadership,” adding a dire warning, “Continuing the same way, we’re going to become Venezuela.”