5 things to know about Mexico President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, June 05, 2024

Presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum of ''Sigamos Haciendo Historia'' arrives to give a speech after the first results released by the election authorities show that she leads the polls by wide margin after the presidential election at Hilton Hotel on June 03, 2024 in Mexico City, Mexico. | Hector Vivas/Getty Images

Mexico has elected its first female president, with preliminary results from the National Electoral Institute showing that Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo has won more than 59.3% of the vote in Sunday’s presidential election.

The 61-year-old Sheinbaum, a member of the left-leaning Morena Party, defeated her closest opponent, Bertha Xochitl Galvez Ruiz of the right-leaning National Action Party, by more than 30 percentage points.

Data from security agency Integralia identified this year’s election cycle as the deadliest in Mexico’s history, as it was marked by 37 assassinations of political candidates. This broke the record of 36 assassinations recorded in the 2021 midterm election cycle.

Sheinbaum is not a newcomer to politics, as she served as the government head of Mexico City from 2018-2023. In addition to the notoriety she has received due to the historic nature of her candidacy, Sheinbaum also developed a reputation as a leader of progressive thought in her country and an influential academic on the world stage.

The following highlights five things to know about the new president-elect of Mexico.