Mexico: Claudia Sheinbaum becomes the country’s first female president

This article was originally published in Spanish

Climatologist Claudia Sheinbaum holds an irreversible lead in the race that would make her Mexico’s first female president, according to a first official tally.

The National Electoral Institute (INE) indicated that Ms. Sheinbaum had obtained between 58.3% and 60.7% of the votes, according to a statistical sample. Opposition candidate Xóchitl Gálvez obtained between 26.6% and 28.6% of the votes and Jorge Ãlvarez Máynez between 9.9% and 10.8% of the votes.

Claudia Sheinbaum grew up in a household far from religion, but her grandparents were Ashkenazi Jewish migrants and this too is a first for Mexico.

The ruling left-wing party candidate campaigned on continuing the political path charted over the past six years by her political mentor, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Ms. Sheinbaum, 61, led the campaign from start to finish, despite the challenge from Ms. Gálvez. It was the first time in Mexico that the two main opponents were women.