Mexico’s outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador hailed the election of his ruling party’s candidate Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday.
Sheinbaum won Mexico’s presidential election, according to the INEC electoral institute’s rapid sample count released Sunday night.
Sheinbaum, who has convincingly led in opinion polls over her main competitor Xochitl Galvez, will be tasked with confronting organised crime violence and reviving a sluggish economy.
And a victory for her would represent a major step for Mexico, a country known for its macho culture.
The winner is set to begin a six-year term on Oct. 1.
Crowds of flag-waving supporters sang and danced to mariachi music in Mexico City’s main square celebrating the ruling party candidate’s victory.
“I want to thank millions of Mexican women and men who decided to vote for us on this historic day,” Sheinbaum said in a victory speech to the cheering crowd.
“I won’t fail you,” the 61-year-old former Mexico City mayor vowed.
She thanked her main opposition rival Xochitl Galvez, who conceded defeat.
Mexico’s presidential candidate for Morena party Claudia Sheinbaum celebrates following the results of the general election at Zocalo Square in Mexico City, on June 3, 2024
Sheinbaum, a scientist by training, won around 58-60 percent of votes, according to preliminary official results from the National Electoral Institute.
That was more than 30 percentage points ahead of Galvez, and some 50 percentage points ahead of the only man running, long-shot centrist Jorge Alvarez Maynez.
Voters had flocked to polling stations across the Latin American nation, despite sporadic violence in areas terrorized by ultra-violent drug cartels.
Thousands of troops were deployed to protect voters, following a particularly bloody electoral process that has seen more than two dozen aspiring local politicians murdered.