Claudia Sheinbaum Becomes First Mexico’s Female President As Rival Concedes Defeat

Claudia Sheinbaum has been elected as Mexico’s first female president with wide margin .

Mexico’s official electoral authority said preliminary results showed the 61-year-old former mayor of Mexico City winning between 58% and 60% of the vote in Sunday’s election.

That gives her a lead of about 30 percentage points over her main rival, Xóchitl Gálvez.

Ms Sheinbaum is expected to take over from the outgoing President , Andrés Manuel López Obrador, on 1 October.

Ms Sheinbaum, a former energy scientist, has promised continuity, saying that she will build on the “advances” made by Mr López Obrador, further building on the welfare programmes which have made the outgoing president very popular.

But in her victory speech she also highlighted what has set this Mexican election apart from previous ones. She told cheering voters: “For the first time in the 200 years of the [Mexican] Republic, I will become the first woman president of Mexico.”

She said it was an achievement not just for her but for all women.

“I’ve said it from the start, this is not just about me getting [to the top office], it’s about all of us getting here.”

Ms Sheinbaum also thanked her rival, Xóchitl Gálvez, who has conceded victory.

Prior to running for president, Ms Sheinbaum was mayor of Mexico City, one of the most influential political positions in the country and one that is seen as paving the way for the presidency.