The first official preliminary results point to a landslide victory for Claudia Sheinbaum, who belongs to the ruling Morena party.
According to calculations by Mexico’s International Electoral Institute, Sheinbaum has received between 58.3% and 60.7% of the vote, while main opponent Xóchitl Gálvez has received between 26.6% and 28.6% of the vote.
Morena, who had already declared victory earlier, will continue with a simple majority in the country’s Congress, said party leader Mario Delgado during a national television broadcast.
Biggest and most dangerous choice
Mexico’s biggest ever election has also been the most violent in modern history, with the killing of 38 candidates. The violence has raised concerns in the country that democracy is under threat from the warring drug cartels.
Confronting and reducing the organized crime that characterizes several parts of Mexico will be one of Sheinbaum’s most important missions. On October 1, she is expected to take the chair as president for a period of six years.
Polling station had to close after shooting
The deadly violence did not pause during Sunday’s voting. A polling station in the town of Coyomeapan in the state of Puebla had to close after one person was killed in a shooting, the state electoral authority reported.
The state’s regional prosecutor confirmed another death at a polling station in Tlapanalá, also in Puebla.