Claudia Sheinbaum was elected Mexico’s first woman president, making history in a country plagued by criminal and gender-based violence.
Crowds of supporters celebrated in Mexico City’s main square. “I want to thank millions of Mexican women and men who voted for us,” Sheinbaum said in her victory speech. “I won’t fail you,” vowed the 61-year-old former Mexico City mayor.
Voters turned out despite sporadic violence in areas terrorized by drug cartels. Thousands of troops were deployed to protect voters following a bloody electoral process that saw more than two dozen aspiring politicians murdered.
Mexican women cheered the prospect in a country where around 10 women or girls are murdered every day. Sheinbaum owes much of her popularity to outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a fellow leftist and mentor with an approval rating of over 60 per cent.
Even hours before polls opened, a local candidate was murdered, adding to at least 25 political hopefuls killed this season.
Sheinbaum pledged to continue the outgoing president’s “hugs, not bullets” strategy for tackling crime.
More than 450,000 people have been murdered, and tens of thousands are missing since the government deployed the army to fight drug trafficking in 2006. The next president will also manage delicate relations with the United States, particularly concerning cross-border drug smuggling and migration.
