Mexico moves closer to electing first woman president

Former Mexico City mayor and presidential hopeful Claudia Sheinbaum waves to supporters – Copyright POOL/AFP Mast IRHAM

Jean Arce and Daniel Rook

Mexico’s ruling party on Wednesday named former Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum as its candidate for the 2024 presidential election, ensuring that for the first time the two main rivals to lead the Latin American power will be women.

Sheinbaum, a 61-year-old scientist by training, will face Xochitl Galvez, an outspoken businesswoman and senator with Indigenous roots selected to represent an opposition coalition, the Broad Front for Mexico.

Both women have invoked cracking the glass ceiling in their campaigns in a nation seeking to shake off a tradition of machismo — or sexism.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s Morena party announced that Sheinbaum had won an internal contest to run in the June 2024 election, beating rivals includin