Nobel winner Claudia Sheinbaum is first woman president of Mexico, officially soon

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Mexico’s 2024 presidential election is currently underway, marking a historic moment as the country may elect its first female president. The two leading candidates, Claudia Sheinbaum and Xochitl Galvez, are both women, with the former standing a better chance to become the first woman president of Mexico.

Claudia Sheinbaum, the former mayor of Mexico City, is currently leading the polls. Sheinbaum is the candidate for the ruling National Regeneration Movement (Morena) party. Her main opponent, Xochitl Galvez, is a successful tech entrepreneur and former senator supported by an alliance of opposition parties. However, she trailed Sheinbaum by double digits in most polls.

This election is significant not only for its potential to break gender barriers, but also for the challenges the next president will face. The incoming administration will need to address domestic issues such as energy and water shortages, fiscal deficits, violence, the spread of organized crime and the movement of millions of migrants into and through Mexico.

The election is also shadowed by cartel violence, with violence being one of the top issues for voters. The next president will inherit a growing economy, led by trade with the United States, but will also need to tackle the challenges posed by limited energy and water availability.

Preliminary results from the National Electoral Institute show Sheinbaum leading with 27,292,432 votes (58.7334%) of the votes at the time of this writing. According to the unofficial results, Galvez has so far received 13,139,267 votes (28.2757%) of votes.

Soon to be the first woman president of Mexico, Sheinbaum was born on June 24, 1962. In addition to being a distinguished Mexican politician, she is also a scientist and academic. Known for her scientific research and policy advocacy on matters of the environment, sustainability and energy efficiency, she was among the policymakers and scientists who shared the 2007 Nobel Prize for Peace for their work on the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

She received her Ph.D. in energy engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and has authored over 100 articles and two books on sustainable development, the environment and energy.

Sheinbaum was the head of government of Mexico City from 2018 to 2023. From 2000 to 2006, she served as the secretary of the environment under then-future president Andres Obrador when he was the head of government. From 2015 to 2017, she served as the delegational chief of the Tlalpan borough and, in the 2018 election, was elected as the head of government.

She resigned from her position as the head of government of Mexico City on June 12 last year to seek the presidential nomination of her party in the 2024 election. Her campaign and subsequent election mark a significant moment in the political history of Mexico, as she is going to be the first woman to hold the office of the president.

Featured photo has been extracted from an image by Eneas De Troya (License: CC BY 2.0 DEED)