“¡Presidenta! ¡Presidenta! ¡Presidenta!” The shouts filled the Zócalo, Mexico City’s main square as supporters gathered deep into the early morning of June 2 to celebrate the election of Claudia Sheinbaum as Mexico’s first woman president.
Sheinbaum’s victory was not a shock—she polled well ahead of her rivals since the race began. But the overall results came as a surprise. Sheinbaum and her Morena party won el carro completo, which roughly translates toto saying: they won it all. She beat her rivals in 31 out of Mexico’s 32 states. Morena took seven out of nine governorships up for grabs. And the party gained congressional majorities that could allow major reforms.
Sheinbaum has a huge mandate. Now what’s she going to do with it?