Update: Claudia Sheinbaum was elected Sunday as Mexico’s president, becoming the first female president in that country, according to the Associated Press.
Mexico is on the verge of electing its first woman president. Nationals in the largely Mexican community of Boyle Heights will cast votes in Sunday’s historic presidential election, which features two female frontrunners.
Fatima Carrera, 28, plans on voting at the Mexican Consulate west of Downtown L.A. She feels a woman president is overdue, not just for her home country but around the world.
“The lack of female representation is a global issue,” said Carrera, a Boyle Heights resident originally from Jerez in the Mexican state of Zacatecas. “Having a woman president in Mexico could challenge the deeply-rooted machismo culture and pave the way for a more inclusive and equitable society.”
Carrera is among the more than 150,000 Mexicans living in the U.S. who are registered to vote, according to the National Electoral Institute. Those citizens can vote online, via mail or in person at Mexican consulates in several cities, including Los Angeles.
Sunday’s election is the country’s largest in history. Nearly 100 million Mexicans are registered to cast ballots for more than 20,000 local, state and congressional posts.
The presidential contest is expected to mark a cultural change in a country where women were only granted the right to vote in 1953.
“The prospect of Mexico having its first female head of state is undeniably a positive milestone and a true testament to women’s past efforts to acquire more power in the country’s political system,” said Lila Abed, acting director of Mexico Institute at The Wilson Center, in a video posted to social media platform, X.
The two leading candidates represent different sides of Mexico’s political spectrum.
Claudia Sheinbaum, 61, an environmental scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, emerged as the race’s frontrunner. The granddaughter of Jewish immigrants is running for the governing Morena party and is expected to continue the policies of her mentor and outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Sheinbaum’s main challenger is former senator and tech entrepreneur Xótchitl Gálvez. The 61-year-old is backed by a three-party coalition looking to take power away from the populist Morena party. Galvez, who has Indigenous roots, has been an open critic of López Obrador.
A third candidate trailing way behind in in opinion polls is Jorge Álvarez Máynez, who represents the newer Movimiento Ciudadano Party.
Among the crises facing the next president is cartel violence, the top concern for Boyle Heights resident Alberto Sanchez.
Originally from Jalisco, Mexico, Sanchez says he’s decided to vote for Sheinbaum, largely because of his loyalty to López Obrador and the Morena party.
“I’m going to vote for her so she can continue to change the system like Obrador has been doing,” Sanchez said. “I believe Claudia [Sheinbaum] can reduce that violence.”
Sunday’s winner will take office on Oct. 1 and will serve one six-year term.
The Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles will be open to registered voters from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Those who missed the registration deadline are urged to arrive early for a chance at only 1,500 blank ballots available.
