Leaders from across the American continent have congratulated Claudia Sheinbaum, whose overwhelming victory in Mexico's national elections will make her the first woman to hold the presidency in the country's history.
Officials from countries including Brazil, Chile and the United States have praised the newly elected president, who won Sunday's election with more than 59 percent of the vote.
sheinbaum He will represent the leftist National Regeneration Movement (Morena) party when he takes office on October 1.
“I congratulate Claudia Sheinbaum on her historic election as the first female president of Mexico,” US President Joe Biden said in a press release on Monday. “I look forward to working closely with President-elect Sheinbaum in a spirit of partnership and friendship that reflects the enduring ties between our two countries.”
Sheinbaum will succeed current President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known by his initials AMLO, who founded the Morena party. During his campaign, Sheinbaum pledged to advance his signature policies during his six-year term.
López Obrador will leave office in September as one of the most popular world leaders in office today.
His approval rating has remained consistently above 60 percent, and polling agency Morning Consult ranks him behind only two other leaders – India's Narendra Modi and Argentina's Javier Milei – in terms of popularity.
His career in office has included advancing progressive priorities such as expanding social programs for the poor. But López Obrador has also led controversial initiatives, including expanding the military mandate and collaborating with the United States to crack down on northward migration.
Sheinbaum has a close professional relationship with López Obrador, who appointed her as his Secretary of the Environment when he led the Mexico City government, starting in 2000.
Support from the Latin American left
Leaders of the political left in Latin America, with whom López Obrador has maintained strong ties, expressed optimism after Sunday's vote showed Sheinbaum with a sizeable victory over a conservative-leaning coalition.
“I am very happy with his victory, because he represents my great friend López Obrador, who has led an extraordinary government,” Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Monday, adding that he hoped economic ties between the two countries expanded. further.
The government of Chilean President Gabriel Boric also issued a statement, saying it hopes Sheinbaum's election will contribute to achieving a more “inclusive, fair, resilient and peaceful” region.
The victory of the Morena party with Sheinbaum is a show of strength when the left in Latin America has suffered a series of setbacks in recent years. The party is also poised to maintain and possibly expand its legislative majority.
By contrast, in countries like Colombia and Chile, left-wing presidents have seen their popularity decline as they struggle to advance their key priorities.
Meanwhile, conservative candidates have outperformed left-wing candidates in presidential elections in Ecuador and Argentina over the past year.
Future obstacles to equality
Sheinbaum's election in Mexico makes history not only because it marks the election of the country's first female leader but also of its first president of Jewish descent.
Sheinbaum, an energy scientist and engineer, also participated in a 2007 climate change report that won the Nobel Peace Prize that same year.
In his message commemorating Sheinbaum's victory, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave a nod to what her leadership could mean for women and the environment.
“By working together, we will improve the lives of our people, including by fighting climate change, strengthening international peace and security, promoting gender equality, and promoting reconciliation with indigenous peoples,” Trudeau said.
Observers have noted that the election of a female president in Mexico is a milestone that its northern neighbor, the United States, has yet to reach. The United States granted women full suffrage in 1920, and Mexico followed suit in 1953.
But activists warn that Sheinbaum's election is not necessarily a turning point for women's rights in the country. Women suffer high levels of gender violence and discrimination in Mexico, and the United Nations estimates that an average of 10 women each day are victims of feminicide.
Likewise, on the issue of climate change, Sheinbaum's critics have expressed skepticism, as she has pledged to continue her predecessor's support for the state oil company Pemex.
