Mexico’s Next President Will (Probably) Be a Woman

Mexico City, Mexico —(Map)

All through its history, Mexico has been led by men. That’s about to change. The two leading candidates for Mexico’s 2024 election for president are both women. Unless something unexpected happens, Mexico’s next president will be a woman.

In September 2024, Mexico will hold an election for president. The current president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador was elected in 2018, and can only serve one six-year term.

Mexico’s ruling party,  Morena, was created by Mr. López Obrador in 2014. Last Wednesday, Morena chose Claudia Sheinbaum as its candidate for the 2024 presidential election. A few days before that, a coalition of opposition parties, known as Broad Front for Mexico, chose Senator Xóchitl Gálvez as its candidate.

That means the two leading candidates in the race are both women.

Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (above) was elected in 2018, and can’t run again. His party chose Claudia Sheinbaum as its candidate for 2024. The main opposition group chose Senator Xóchitl Gálvez. That means the two leading candidates for president are women.

Though Ms. Sheinbaum and Ms. Gálvez are from different parties, they have a lot in common. The women are about the same age, and are both trained as engineers. They also have a lot of experience as politicians.

Ms. Sheinbaum, 61, got her Ph.D. studying energy and the environment. She has often worked closely with Mr. López Obrador. As far back as 2000, she served as secretary of the environment for Mexico City when Mr. López Obrador was mayor.

In 2018, Ms. Sheinbaum was elected Mexico City’s mayor. As mayor, she focused on public transportation and the environment. But she was also criticized for problems with the city’s transportation, especially after a deadly problem with the city’s subway system in 2021.

Ms. Sheinbaum, 61, has often worked closely with Mr. López Obrador. In 2018, Ms. Sheinbaum was elected Mexico City’s mayor. In June, she resigned as mayor to run for president. Above, Ms. Sheinbaum after being named Morena’s candidate for president.

In June, Ms. Sheinbaum resigned as mayor to run for president.

Ms. Gálvez, who’s 60, is currently a senator. One reason she was chosen to represent Broad Front is because she’s good at making the news.

Ms. Gálvez was raised in a poor town. Her father was from an indigenous background, and Ms. Gálvez grew up speaking her father’s language. She was a good student and wound up studying at one of Mexico’s best universities.

After she graduated with a degree in computer engineering, Ms. Gálvez worked as an engineer. Later, she started a company which designed systems for office buildings. From 2000 to 2006, she was in charge of the government’s agency for indigenous people.

Ms. Gálvez, who’s 60, has a degree in computer engineering and worked as an engineer. Later, she started her own company. Ms. Gálvez has been a senator since 2018. Ms. Gálvez has been critical of Mr. López Obrador. Above, Ms. Gálvez after being named Broad Front’s candidate for president.

Ms. Gálvez has been a senator since 2018. She’s known for being strong and direct. Ms. Gálvez has been critical of Mr. López Obrador. He has also criticized her, which has made her more famous.

Mr. López Obrador will no longer be president, but he’s still part of this contest. His support for Ms. Sheinbaum will help her with some voters. But some people think Ms. Sheinbaum is too much like Mr. López Obrador.

The president’s popularity may also be affecting Ms. Gálvez. Some of her ideas seem closer to Mr. López Obrador’s ideas than to the ideas of the parties she represents.

Both women say they’ll work to help the poor and protect the environment. They also say that women should have the right to make decisions about their own bodies.

No matter who wins, the results are likely to bring a huge change: Mexico’s first female president.

(Front page image: Sheinbaum: Rodrigo Jardón , Gálvez: Santiago Alba Ibarra , both [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons.)