Claudia Sheinbaum was elected Mexico’s first woman president by a landslide on Sunday, according to preliminary official results, making history in a country plagued by rampant criminal and gender-based violence.
Crowds of flag-waving supporters sang and danced to mariachi music in Mexico City’s main square celebrating the ruling party candidate’s victory.
The 61-year-old former Mexico City mayor won around 58-60 percent of votes, according to an announcement by the National Electoral Institute after a quick count.
That was more than 30 percentage points ahead of her main opposition rival Xochitl Galvez, and some 50 percentage points ahead of the only man running, long-shot centrist Jorge Alvarez Maynez.
Voters had flocked to polling stations across the Latin American nation, despite sporadic violence in areas terrorized by ultra-violent drug cartels.
Thousands of troops were deployed to protect voters, following a particularly bloody electoral process that has seen more than two dozen aspiring local politicians murdered.
