ISTANBUL
Claudia Sheinbaum is projected to be Mexico’s first woman president, who pledged to continue all of current President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s left-wing populist policies.
She promised to expand on the progress made by Obrador, further building on the welfare programs including universal pension for the elderly and a program that pays youths to apprentice.
The 61-year-old former mayor of Mexico City is currently leading with 58% to 60% of the vote against businesswoman Xochitl Galvez in Sunday’s election, according to preliminary results.
An outgoing ally of leftist President Obrador and a candidate of the ruling Morena party, Sheinbaum will begin her presidency on Oct. 1, once officially confirmed by the Electoral Court.
Sheinbaum served as the first female Mexico City mayor between 2018 and 2023 before her resignation to pursue the presidency.
Her Jewish maternal grandparents immigrated from Bulgaria to Mexico to escape the Nazis. She had a distinguished career as a scientist before entering politics.
Sheinbaum pursued her undergraduate studies in physics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, graduating in 1989. She went on to obtain a master’s degree in 1994 and a Ph.D in 1995, both in energy engineering.
Between 1991 and 1994, Sheinbaum conducted research for her doctoral thesis at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California and became a climate activist, focusing on Mexican energy consumption patterns.
During her victory speech, she emphasized that she would be the first woman president in her country’s 200-year history, viewing it as an achievement not only for herself but for all women.
“I have said it from the start, this is not just about me getting (to the top office), it’s about all of us getting here,” she said.
Stance on Gaza
Sheinbaum follows the federal government’s stand regarding the conflict in Gaza, backing a cease-fire and the recognition of Palestinian statehood without condemning Israel.
“First, condemn the attacks, I agree with the positions that the government of Mexico,” she said in an interview in October. “Of course any form of violence must be condemned, particularly this form of violence: attacking civilians, innocent people”.
She also believes that the violence should cease and that the two-state solution should be recognized.
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gazasince an Oct. 7 Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.
More than 36,400 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and over 82,600 others injured, according to local health authorities.
37 candidates killed in bloodiest election in Mexican history
Violence will be a challenge for the new president, as the country witnessed the bloodiest election in its history.
A total of 37 political candidates have been killed in Mexico in the 2024 election season.
Sheinbaum and the current government have been criticized by Galvez for the violence in the country, which has one of the highest homicide rates globally.
Around 10 women are also murdered daily and more than 100,000 people remain missing in the country.
The election also came at a critical time for Mexico-US relations.
Mexico serves as a crucial ally to the US across various domains, including trade, combating drug trafficking, and overseeing migration management.
The issue of illegal immigration, which will also be a significant factor in the US presidential elections, is one of the key agenda items in Mexico-US relations.
In March, both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump paid visits to the US-Mexico border to advocate for their respective positions on illegal immigration in anticipation of the election in November 2024.
