Nearly one hundred million voters in Mexico are preparing to elect the first female president in the country’s history, the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, where the UN reports nine to ten femicides per day.
Violence has marked the pre-election campaign: at least 25 candidates – according to official figures from the federal government – have been murdered in the country plagued by the violence of drug cartels and is also the largest trading partner of the US worldwide.
The favorite in the presidential elections is the candidate of the center-left coalition, Claudia Seinbaum of the Movement for National Regeneration (MORENA). Throughout the three-month campaign, the former mayor of the capital (2018-2023) maintained a lead of 17 points on average in the polls against her main rival, center-right candidate Sotshil Galves, who is supported by a diverse alliance of three opposition parties.
Election Day Dynamics
The first polling stations will open at 08:00 (16:00 GMT) on the Yucatan Peninsula (southeast), followed an hour later in the central part of the country, including Mexico City, where MORENA will need to fight to retain control of the capital’s mayorship. The two frontrunners are expected to vote in Mexico City, as well as the outsider, 38-year-old Jorge Maines, a candidate of the Citizens’ Movement (MC).
Some 99 million voters are registered for these elections, which will be the largest ever organized in the history of the second-largest economy in Latin America, second only to Brazil. In addition to the president, voters are also called to renew the composition of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, to choose the governors of 9 out of the 32 states, and to elect local representatives and mayors. In total, around 20,000 positions are at stake.
The first indications of the outcome, at least regarding the presidential elections, will be known a few hours after the polling stations close at 18:00 (03:00 GMT Monday Greek time).
Security Concerns
Another candidate for local office was murdered yesterday, Friday, in the state of Puebla, in the central part of the country. The federal government reported 22 murders on Tuesday — followed by three more. However, the non-governmental organization Data Cívica counts around thirty candidate deaths; and the consulting firm Integralia, which specializes in security issues, reports an even higher toll, 37 dead.
Authorities announced that strict security measures would be enforced today. A total of 27,000 military personnel and National Guard members were expected to be deployed.
