Explainer: Mexico is the sixth country in the Americas with a female president

The election of Mexico’s first woman as president in 2024 brought the total to six women who run governments in the Americas.

Claudia Sheinbaum, the leftist Morena party candidate, was elected in Mexico’s largest election where more than 98 million are registered to vote.

Conservative PAN party candidate Xochitl Galvez, who is a woman, and center-left Citizens’ Movement candidate Jorge Alvarez Maynez were defeated by Sheinbaum, whose term began Oct. 1, 2024.

“I look forward to working closely with President-elect Sheinbaum in the spirit of partnership and friendship that reflects the enduring bonds between our two countries. I expressed our commitment to advancing the values and interests of both our nations to the benefit of our peoples,” U.S. President Joe Biden said of the historic election.

The Mexican election determined more than 20,000 positions at local, state and federal levels. As violence plagued the days leading up to election day for Mexicans, Sheinbaum promised to fight drug cartels. More than 20 political murders were reported by the Mexican government between September 2023 and June 2024. Mexican consultancy firm Integralia reported that 34 candidates were murdered prior to election day.

Violence at polling locations caused suspension of voting on election day in the southeastern town of Coyomeapan.

Mexico joins the list of women-led governments in the Americas, including Barbados, Dominica, Honduras, Peru and Trinidad & Tobago.

Sheinbaum, who formerly led the government of Mexico City as the first woman to do so from 2018 to 2023, is a former climate scientist. She holds a degree in physics and a master’s and doctorate in energy engineering.

The mother of two and grandmother of one, Sheinbaum, 62, was born in Mexico City. Her husband, Jesús María Tarriba, is Mexico’s first First Gentlemen.

Much of her early career was dedicated to teaching at university and focusing on renewable energy and climate change. She contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007, which earned the Nobel Peace Prize.

Sheinbaum entered politics in 2000 when appointed Secretary of the Environment for the Federal District and served until 2006. In 2015, she was the first woman elected head of the Tlalpan borough, which she served until 2017.

As designated by the Morena party, Sheinbaum is the coordinator for the Defense of the Transformation, which has a mission to defend and promote the values of the Fourth Transformation of Public Life in Mexico.

Sheinbaum is also Mexico’s first president with Jewish heritage.