Claudia Sheinbaum Elected as Mexico’s First Female President
In a historic victory, former Mayor of Mexico City Claudia Sheinbaum has become Mexico’s first woman president, winning by a significant margin, Excel Magazine International reports.
Her election marks a pivotal moment both for the nation and her personally, having previously served as Mexico City’s first female mayor.
In a few months, she will step into the National Palace, succeeding her mentor, outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, popularly known as AMLO.
Excel Magazine International was informed that Sheinbaum’s campaign was characterized by a double-digit lead in the polls, reassuring her trajectory toward this groundbreaking achievement.
Throughout her campaign, she traveled across the nation on commercial flights, consistently maintaining her lead. This victory is seen as breaking the glass ceiling in Mexican politics, a notable feat in a country with deep-seated patriarchy and machismo.
Despite the celebratory tone, questions linger about what kind of president Sheinbaum will be. Her campaign, rich in speeches and rhetoric, was sparse on specific policy details. Her main message was to build the “second floor” of AMLO’s “Fourth Transformation” (4T), a political project aiming at significant social reforms. The 4T includes initiatives like universal pensions, student grants, and family stipends, which have already lifted an estimated five million people out of poverty.
Sheinbaum’s platform emphasized continuity, pledging to extend AMLO’s policies.
Critics, including her main rival Xóchitl Gálvez, have labeled the 4T as populism, questioning whether Sheinbaum would merely be an extension of AMLO’s governance. However, Sheinbaum asserts that she will govern with the same principles but is dismissive of claims that she will not be her own leader.
Although Sheinbaum’s background sets her apart from AMLO. She is an urbane technocrat from a Jewish family, with her maternal grandparents being Holocaust survivors.
Fluent in English, she completed her doctoral thesis in California and had a notable career as an environmental scientist with the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change before entering politics. This international and scientific background suggests she might navigate the global stage with more ease than her predecessor, who is known for his strong connection with ordinary Mexicans.
One of the most pressing issues Sheinbaum faces is improving security in a country plagued by violent crime and drug cartel activities.
The recent election was the most violent in Mexico’s modern history, indicated by the assassination of Alfredo Cabrera, a mayoral candidate in Coyuca de Benítez. This brutal killing stressed the stakes and the urgent need for effective strategies to combat violence.
Sheinbaum aims to reduce the national murder rate from 23.3 per 100,000 residents to about 19.4 by 2027, drawing from her tenure as Mexico City mayor, where she reportedly halved the murder rate. However, experts caution that successful city-level strategies may not translate seamlessly to national policies.
As Sheinbaum prepares to take office, she faces the challenge of not only continuing AMLO’s social reforms but also addressing the critical issue of security.
Her leadership style, background, and the policies she implements will be closely watched, as Mexicans hope for a marked improvement in safety and governance.
