Latin America: Mexico’s governing coalition chooses presidential candidate

Latin America: Mexico’s governing coalition chooses presidential candidate

Will Germany’s most important trading partner in Latin America have a female president for the first time? After some turbulence, the left-wing candidate is certain – and the opposition is also sending a woman into the race.

Mexico’s left-wing governing coalition has nominated a female presidential candidate for the 2024 election. The former head of government of the capital Mexico City, the physicist Claudia Sheinbaum, will stand for the alliance in the vote on June 2, the three-party coalition announced yesterday (local time). The opposition had previously nominated a woman as a candidate for the highest office.

The chances are good that Germany’s most important trading partner in Latin America will have a female president for the first time. The centrist opposition alliance Frente Amplio por México (Broad Front for Mexico) elected senator and computer engineer Xóchitl Gálvez (60) last week. With 126 million people, Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country.

Sheinbaum (61) prevailed against five competitors, including Marcelo Ebrard, in a turbulent selection process by the government alliance. The ex-foreign minister denounced irregularities yesterday and spoke of an unfair process. Sheinbaum is close to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. When he became mayor of Mexico City in 2000, he appointed her as the capital’s environment minister.

The approval ratings for the left-wing nationalist president are over 60 percent. However, after six years in office, López Obrador is not allowed to run again. The governing coalition, led by the Morena (National Regeneration Movement) party, has a majority in parliament and governs 23 of the 32 states.

Source: Stern

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