Mexico elects Claudia Sheinbaum as its first female president

**Mexico Election** Supporters of ruling party presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum embrace after the polls closed during general elections at the Zocalo, Mexico City's main square, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

**Mexico Election** A voter, reflector in a wall mirror, casts her ballots during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

**Mexico Election** A child watches as an electoral official dyes her father’s thumb with election ink during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

**Mexico Election** Voters hold out their arms to show where electoral workers marked them with a number outside a polling station, during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. Election workers at this downtown polling station created the number system to determine when they reached 1,000, the number of available ballots at that polling station. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

**Mexico Election** Indigenous women vote during general elections in Zinacantan, Mexico, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Etzin)

**Mexico Election** A woman casts her ballot in a box for voters who need special assistance, during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

**Mexico Election** A voter casts her ballot during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

**Mexico Election** Voters cast their ballots during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

**Mexico Election** Electoral officials and poll watchers count votes after polls closed during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

**Mexico Election** Opposition presidential candidate Xochitl Galvez speaks after polls closed during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

**Mexico Election** A family on a scooter rides past electoral officials and poll watchers as they count votes after the polls closed during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

**Mexico Election** Electoral officials and poll watchers count votes after the polls closed during the general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

**Mexico Election** A supporter of ruling party presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum holds a flag that reads in Spanish "we won" after general elections at the Zocalo, Mexico City's main square, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

**Mexico Election** Opposition presidential candidate Xóchitl Gálvez waves as she leaves a polling station after voting in the general election, in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

**APTOPIX Mexico Election** Ruling party presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum greets supporters after the National Electoral Institute announced she held an irreversible lead in the election in Mexico City, early Monday, June 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

**Mexico Election** A supporter of ruling party presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum waves a Mexican flag after the polls closed during general elections at the Zocalo, Mexico City's main square, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

**Mexico Election** Ruling party presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum greets supporters after the National Electoral Institute announced she held an irreversible lead in the election in Mexico City, early Monday, June 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

**Mexico Election** Ruling party presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum addresses supporters after the National Electoral Institute announced she held an irreversible lead in the race in Mexico City, early Monday, June 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

**Mexico Election** Supporters of ruling party presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum celebrate at the Zocalo, Mexico City's main square, after the National Electoral Institute announced she held an irreversible lead in the election, early Monday, June 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

**APTOPIX Mexico Election** Fireworks go off as supporters of future President Claudia Sheinbaum celebrate at the Zocalo, Mexico City's main square, after the National Electoral Institute announced she held an irreversible lead in the election, early Monday, June 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

**Mexico Election** President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum addresses supporters at the Zocalo, Mexico City's main square, after the National Electoral Institute announced she held an irreversible lead in the election, early Monday, June 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

**Mexico Election** Outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador poses for photos with supporters after voting in the general elections, in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

**Mexico Election Photo Gallery** Presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum arrives at her closing campaign rally at the Zocalo in Mexico City, Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

**Mexico Election** Presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum raises her arms after speaking at her closing campaign rally at the Zocalo in Mexico City, Wednesday, May 29, 2024. Mexico's general election is set for June 2. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

**Mexico Election Photo Gallery** Supporters of opposition presidential candidate Xochitl Galvez chant her name at her closing campaign rally, in Los Reyes la Paz on the outskirts of Mexico City, Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

**Mexico Election Photo Gallery** Opposition presidential candidate Xochitl Galvez speaks during her closing campaign rally in Los Reyes la Paz, on the outskirts of Mexico City, Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

**APTOPIX Mexico Election** A customer selects a bag of pet fish at a fish market in Mexico City, Saturday, June 1, 2024. Nearly 100 million people are registered to vote in the June 2 race to replace outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

**APTOPIX Mexico Election** A woman walks through the Zocalo in Mexico City, early Thursday, May 30, 2024. Mexican voters head to the polls on June 2 to elect a new president. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

**APTOPIX Mexico Election** Ruling party presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum arrives to vote in general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

**Mexico Election** Ruling party presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum arrives to vote in general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

**Mexico Election** Outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and first lady Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller arrive to vote during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

**Mexico Election** Neighbors takes photos of ruling party presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum arriving to vote during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

**Mexico Election** Ruling party presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum arrives to vote during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

**Mexico Election** A voter prepares to cast her ballot during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

**Mexico Election** FILE - This combo image shows opposition presidential candidate Xochitl Galvez, left, on July 4, 2023, and presidential frontrunner Claudia Sheinbaum, on May 29, 2024, both in Mexico City. Voters choosing Mexico’s next president will decide on Sunday, June 2, 2024, between Sheinbaum, a former mayor and academic, and Galvez, an ex-senator and tech entrepreneur. A third candidate from a smaller party trails far behind. (AP Photo/File)

**Mexico Election** A woman holds her ballots during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

**Mexico Election** Voters mark their ballots during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

**Mexico Election** A voter casts his ballot during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

**APTOPIX Mexico Election** Opposition presidential candidate Xóchitl Gálvez adjusts her hat as she waits to vote in the general election in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

**Mexico Election** Ruling party presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum greets supporters as she leaves a polling station after voting in the general election in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

**Mexico Election** Opposition presidential candidate Xóchitl Gálvez, left, waits for her turn to vote during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

**Mexico Election** Opposition presidential candidate Xóchitl Gálvez takes a selfie with a supporter as she waits to vote during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

**Mexico Election** An electoral officer assists a voter with her presidential ballot during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

**APTOPIX Mexico Election** Ruling party presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum shows her ballot before voting, during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

**Mexico Election** Opposition presidential candidate Xóchitl Gálvez shows her inked-stained thumb as she leaves a polling station after voting in the general election, in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

**Mexico Election** Presidential candidate Jorge Álvarez Máynez arrives to vote in the general election in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

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MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s projected presidential winner Claudia Sheinbaum will become the first female president in the country’s 200-year history.

Sheinbaum, the favored successor of outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, vowed to continue on the direction set by the populist leftist leader. But the cool-tempered scientist offers a sharp contrast in style — and a break with Mexico’s male-dominated political culture.

“I promise that I am not going to let you down,” Sheinbaum said, greeting supports in Mexico City’s colonial-era main plaza, the Zocalo.

The National Electoral Institute’s president said Sheinbaum had between 58.3% and 60.7% of the vote, while opposition candidate Xóchitl Gálvez had between 26.6% and 28.6% and Jorge Álvarez Máynez had between 9.9% and 10.8% of the vote. Sheinbaum’s Morena party was also projected to hold its majorities in both chambers of Congress.

The climate scientist and former Mexico City mayor said that her two competitors had called her and conceded her victory.

The official preliminary count put Sheinbaum 28 points ahead of Gálvez with nearly 50% of polling places reporting.

The fact that the two leading candidates were women had left little doubt that Mexico would make history Sunday.

“As I have said on other occasions, I do not arrive alone,” Sheinbaum said shortly after her victory was confirmed. “We all arrived, with our heroines who gave us our homeland, with our mothers, our daughters and our granddaughters.”

Sheinbaum will also be the first person from a Jewish background to lead the overwhelmingly Catholic country.

She will start her six-year term Oct. 1. Mexico’s constitution does not allow reelection.

The leftist has said she believes the government has a strong role to play in addressing economic inequality and providing a sturdy social safety net, much like her political mentor.

López Obrador’s anointed successor, the 61-year-old Sheinbaum consistntly led in polls despite a spirited challenge from Gálvez. This was the first time in Mexico that the two main opponents were women.

“Of course, I congratulate Claudia Sheinbaum with all my respect who ended up the winner by a wide margin,” López Obrador said shortly after the electoral authorities’ announcement. “She is going to be Mexico’s first (female) president in 200 years.”

If the margin holds it would approach his landslide victory in 2018. López Obrador won the presidency after two unsuccessful tries with 53.2% of the votes, in a three-way race where National Action took 22.3% and the Institutional Revolutionary Party took 16.5%.

Still, Sheinbaum is unlikely to enjoy the kind of unquestioning devotion that López Obrador has enjoyed.

In the Zocalo, Sheinbaum’s win did not draw the kind of cheering, jubilant crowds that greeted López Obrador’s victory in 2018. Those present were enthusiastic, but comparatively few in number.

Sara Ríos, 76, a retired literature professor at Mexico’s National Autonomous University, celebrated after hearing that Gálvez had conceded.

“The only way that we move forward is by working together,” Ríos said. “She is going to work to bring peace to the country, and is going to manage to advance, but it is a slow process.”

Fernando Fernández, a chef, 28, said he voted for Sheinbaum because of her ties to López Obrador, using the president’s intials, AMLO. But his highest hope is that Sheinbaum can “improve what AMLO couldn’t do, the price of gasoline, crime and drug trafficking, which he didn’t combat even though he had the power.”

The main opposition candidate, Gálvez, a tech entrepreneur and former senator, had promised a more aggressive approach toward organized crime.

In her concession speech, she said “I want to stress that my recognition (of Sheinbaum’s victory) comes with a firm demand for results and solutions to the country’s serious problems.”

López Obrador claims to have reduced historically high homicide levels by 20% since he took office in December 2018. But that’s largely a claim based on a questionable reading of statistics. The real homicide rate appears to have declined by only about 4% in six years.

Julio García, a Mexico City office worker, said he voted for the opposition because of crime. “They’ve robbed me twice at gunpoint. You have to change direction, change leadership,” the 34-year-old said. “Continuing the same way, we’re going to become Venezuela.”

On the fringes of Mexico City in the neighborhood of San Andres Totoltepec, 34-year-old homemaker Stephania Navarrete said she planned to vote for Sheinbaum despite her own doubts about López Obrador and his party.

“Having a woman president, for me as a Mexican woman, it’s going to be like before when for the simple fact that you say you are a woman you’re limited to certain professions. Not anymore.”

She said the social programs of Sheinbaum’s mentor were crucial, but added that deterioration of cartel violence in the past few years was her primary concern in this election.

Nearly 100 million people were registered to vote and turnout appeared to be about 60%, similar to earlier elections.

Voters were also electing governors in nine of the country’s 32 states, and choosing candidates for both houses of Congress, thousands of mayorships and other local posts, in the biggest elections the nation has seen and ones that have been marked by violence.

The elections were widely seen as a referendum on López Obrador, a populist who has expanded social programs but largely failed to reduce cartel violence in Mexico. His Morena party currently holds 23 of the 32 governorships and a simple majority of seats in both houses of Congress.

Sheinbaum promised to continue all of López Obrador’s policies, including a universal pension for the elderly and a program that pays youths to apprentice.

Just as the upcoming November rematch between U.S. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump has underscored deep divisions in the U.S., Sunday’s election revealed how severely polarized public opinion is in Mexico over the direction of the country, including its security strategy and how to grow the economy.

___

A previous version of this story mistranslated a quote from Claudia Sheinbaum to read “I didn’t make it alone. We all made it.” It has been corrected to read “I do not arrive alone. We all arrived.”

___

Associated Press writer Fabiola Sánchez contributed to this report.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of global elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/global-elections/

Mexico elects Claudia Sheinbaum as its first female president

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Mexico elects Claudia Sheinbaum as its first female president

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