WOMEN have made historic strides in the political arena of Mexico in recent years, making up nearly half of the country’s legislature since 2021.
And now, Mexico is making history with both of its leading political parties nominating female candidates for the 2024 presidential election.
The ruling party, Morena, has chosen Claudia Sheinbaum, while the opposition coalition has put forward Senator Xóchitl Gálvez.
This development means that Mexico is likely to have its first female president in the upcoming election.
Meanwhile, Pres. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, cannot run for a second term.
Claudia Sheinbaum, a former mayor of Mexico City, has long been considered a strong contender for Morena’s nomination. Sheinbaum, born in 1962 in Mexico City, holds a degree in physics and a Ph.D. in energy engineering.
She served as Mexico City’s Secretary of the Environment in 2000 during Obrador’s mayoral tenure and has been a close ally, supporting him in his previous presidential campaigns.
Sheinbaum became mayor of Mexico City in 2018 but stepped down after four and a half years to pursue her ambition of becoming Morena’s presidential candidate, a party she co-founded.
Senator Xóchitl Gálvez, representing the opposition coalition “Frente Amplio Por Mexico,” was officially nominated by the alliance.
This coalition consists of three significant opposition parties: the National Action Party (PAN), the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), and the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).
Gálvez, a senator for Pan, has an inspiring personal journey, rising from humble beginnings to pursue computer engineering through a scholarship and later becoming a successful businesswoman.
She served as the mayor of the Miguel Hidalgo Borough in Mexico City from 2015 to 2018 and secured a senate seat for Pan in 2018.
Mexico’s presidential election is scheduled for June 2024.
