Claudia Sheinbaum,

By BlackmansStreetToday

When she takes office in October, Claudia Sheinbaum will become the first woman president of Mexico.

The climate scientist and former Mexico City mayor, who is Jewish, said Sunday night that her two competitors had called her and congratulated her. 

“I will become the first woman president of Mexico,” Sheinbaum said with a smile, speaking at a downtown hotel shortly after electoral authorities announced that she held an irreversible lead. She declared, “I didn’t make it alone.”

Sheinbaum won 60.7 percent of the vote, the National Electoral Institute’s president said. 

Claudia Sheinbaum is a member of the leftist Morena party, and Xochitl Gálvez, her closest rival, is also a woman. She is a member of the conservative PAN party, which represents a coalition of opposition parties.

Sunday’s voter poll revealed the largest election turnout in the country’s history. More than 98 million voters are registered to cast a ballot in Mexico, and 1.4 million Mexicans are eligible to vote abroad. More than 20,000 positions were set to be filled, with an estimated 70,000 candidates vying to become senators, mayors, and governors.