Mexico’s presidential candidate for Morena party Claudia Sheinbaum celebrates following the results of the general election in Mexico City, on June 3, 2024. – Claudia Sheinbaum was set to be elected Mexico’s first woman president, exit polls showed, a milestone in a country with a history of gender-based violence. (Photo by Gerardo Luna / AFP)
President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Claudia Sheinbaum on her historic election as Mexico’s first female President.
In a statement on Wednesday by Tinubu’s spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, he stated that the election of Sheinbaum as Mexico’s first female leader has cemented the voices of women in government and broken the political glass ceiling.
The president also said, “Sheinabaum’s election had sent a reverberating message across the world that women must not only be participants but principal architects in shaping and implementing decisions affecting the lives of many.”
“On behalf of the government and people of Nigeria, the President congratulates the people of Mexico and calls for the strengthening of bilateral ties between both nations across areas of mutual interest,” the statement added.
According to official results from the National Electoral Institute, Sheinbaum, a 61-year-old scientist and a former Mexico City mayor, won around 58-60 per cent of votes.
The institute said this was more than 30 percentage points ahead of her main opposition rival, Xochitl Galvez, who conceded defeat and over 50 percentage points ahead of the only man running, centrist Jorge Alvarez Maynez.
Sheinbaum owes much of her popularity to outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a fellow leftist and mentor who has an approval rating of more than 60 per cent but is only allowed to serve one term.