Claudia Sheinbaum has been projected as the winner of the 2024 presidential election, making her the first woman to ever be elected to Mexico’s highest office. According to an official quick count announced early Monday by electoral authorities, Sheinbaum obtained between 58.3% and 60.7% of the vote.
The 61-year-old physicist and climate scientist from the governing Morena party addressed jubilant supporters, saying “For the first time in 200 years of our republic, I will become the first woman president.” Sheinbaum acknowledged she did not achieve this historic feat alone, thanking those who helped pave her path. She vowed to build a “diverse and democratic” Mexico during her upcoming six-year term beginning October 1st.
Claudia Sheinbaum’s ascension is a breakthrough for gender equality in Mexican politics. She will be the nation’s first president of Jewish heritage as well. Her political origins trace back to the early 2000s when she served as Mexico City’s environmental minister under her mentor, outgoing president Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
While Sheinbaum is expected to generally continue López Obrador’s populist “hugs not bullets” policies avoiding direct confrontation with drug cartels, she has hinted at taking a slightly greener approach by emphasizing renewable energy development. Immigration, trade, and security cooperation with the U.S. will also be major issues on her presidential agenda.
As she prepares to take office, all eyes will be on how Claudia Sheinbaum translates her bold vision into concrete policies to tackle crime, economic issues, and chart an ambitious new course for Mexico on the global stage. But for now, her supporters are simply basking in this historic milestone of a woman finally occupying Los Pinos, Mexico’s presidential residence.
