MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexicans will vote Sunday in a historic election that prioritizes gender, democracy and populism and will determine the country's future course in an election shadowed by cartel violence.
Mexico has two women in the lead and is likely to elect its first female president, a major step for a country long known for its “macho” culture. The elections will be the largest in Mexico's history, with more than 20,000 congressional and local legislative posts up for grabs, according to the National Electoral Commission.
The elections have been bloody with many contested posts as criminal gangs have used the local elections as an opportunity to exert their power: more than 20 candidates for office have been killed this year alone as a toxic list of cartels and gangs have fought over turf.
It also examines the political legacy of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Mexico's often A tumultuous relationship with the US.
Who are the candidates for Mexico's presidential election?
Claudia ScheinbaumSheinbaum, a former mayor of Mexico City, has held double-digit leads in the polls for months. She has pledged to succeed populist leader Lopez Obrador and has the backing of his ruling Morena party. A scientist by training, Sheinbaum has had to strike a delicate balance between building an image for herself while highlighting her ties to Lopez Obrador, but she lacks the charisma that attracted many to her political ally.
Xochitl Galvez, Galvez, an opposition senator and tech entrepreneur, represents a coalition of parties that has historically had little to unite them around except for their recent opposition to Lopez Obrador. Though he has been a vocal critic of the outgoing president and a vocal opponent, he does not seem to inspire much enthusiasm for his “Strength and Heart for Mexico” coalition.
The third candidate is Jorge Álvarez Mines, a little-known former federal deputy from the Citizen Movement party, who has focused on garnering the youth vote but has not garnered much support.
What does President Lopez Obrador mean for this election?
Lopez Obrador was elected in 2018. Utilized He championed working-class and poor rural voters, many of whom felt they had long been forgotten by the political system. He made rooting out corruption a top priority. Though not on the ballot, most of Sunday's elections were The election revolved around him.
Lopez Obrador remains highly popular but has shown he tolerates no criticism or scrutiny, and critics say he is undermining Mexico's democracy by attacking the judiciary, slashing funding to Mexico's electoral agencies and making the military more accountable to civilians. The opposition has responded with massive protests.
Lopez Obrador is seen as Scheinbaum's mentor, and her election would cement his legacy and show his Morena party can survive beyond his presidency.
When are Mexico's elections held and how does voting work?
Political parties have selected their candidates well before campaigning officially begins for presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections. On June 2, millions of voters will choose their new leader in a single ballot. The winner of the highly anticipated presidential election will serve a six-year term.
While most attention will be focused on the presidential election, Mexicans will also be voting for 128 senators, 500 congressional representatives and some 20,000 local government positions.
Why has the election campaign become so intense?
While Lopez Obrador's “hugs, not bullets” policy emphasizes addressing the social root causes of violence, analysts say cartels and other criminal organizations are Expanded controlMurder rates remain high despite promises to reduce violence by President Lopez Obrador, who has often refused to confront criminal groups and activists say his administration is trying to lower Mexico's official murder count. Forced to disappear Ahead of the election.
A person holds a sign that reads “We are all the same Mexico” during an opposition rally called to encourage voting ahead of the June 2 presidential election, in the main square, Zocalo, in Mexico City, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)
Drug cartels and other criminal gangs see elections, especially local ones, as an opportunity to seize power. They fight over turf and organized crime has killed at least 145 political figures so far this year, according to a study tracked by the human rights group Data-Civica.
Violence Particularly serious This is the case in states where criminal gangs are fighting over territory, such as the southern states of Chiapas and Guerrero and the central state of Michoacan.
Mexico's first female president
In a country where gender-based violence is on the rise and gender inequality is severe, electing a female president would be a major step.
Mexico still has a culture of “machismo,” or male dominance, which creates huge economic and social disparities in society. In its most extreme form, misogyny is expressed as follows: High murder rate for women,and, Acid attacks on women.
But the socially conservative country is seeing historic numbers of women taking on leadership and political roles.
That's due in part to years of efforts by authorities to improve representation in politics, including a law requiring half of parties' parliamentary candidates to be women. Since 2018, Mexico's Congress has been 50/50 male-female, and the number of female governors has soared.
Both front-runners, Scheinbaum and Galvez, have pledged to tackle widespread gender-based violence and gender inequality if they win.
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