Mexico is on the brink of a historic change as predictions indicate the first woman will be elected president in Sunday’s elections, the largest in the country’s history.
Polls show that government candidate Claudia Sheinbaum of the ruling left-wing Morena party is the favorite and likely to win more votes than the opposition candidate Xochitl Galvez. A third presidential candidate is considered to have no chance.
Sheinbaum, a climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, has for years been considered an ally of the incumbent left-wing populist President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who is no longer allowed to run after six years as president.
Gálvez, a businesswoman, computer engineer and former senator, is backed by the broad centrist opposition alliance Strength and Heart for Mexico, formed by the National Action Party (PAN), the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the Party of the Democratic Revolution. PRD).
In addition to the presidency, Mexicans can vote to fill all seats in the House of Representatives, the Senate and regional and municipal posts, making it an election day of historic proportions.
In total, more than 20,000 offices are up for grabs in the most populous Spanish-speaking country, including governorships in eight of the 31 states and in the capital district.
Nearly 100 million citizens have the right to vote.
However, the campaign period was overshadowed by violence. At least 34 candidates have died since the application phase started in September, according to data from consultancy Integralia. Officials say criminal groups vying for influence in some regions are behind many of these attacks.