Mexico: Voters elect new president after weeks of violence

5 months ago 25

Polls across Mexico opened Sunday morning, with an estimated 100 million voters expected to cast ballots throughout the course of the day.

The vote will very likely see the historic election of the country's first female president as two women vie for the top job ahead of a man running a distant third.

As polls opened, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum of the ruling Morena Party enjoyed a nearly 17-point advantage over opposition candidate Xochitl Galvez.

Sheinbaum has promised to continue the populist political program of popular outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who is constitutionally barred from seeking another term in office.

Galvez, a former senator and tech entrepreneur, represents a coalition of opposition parties and has promised to change tack from Lopez Obrador's "hugs, not bullets" policy toward the country's ultra-violent drug cartels.

A woman (Mexican presidential candidate Xochitl Galvez) smiles as she waves to onlookers

Cartel violence on voters' minds

Both the economy — which is struggling in the increasingly polarized country — and cartel violence are foremost on voters' minds according to opinion polls.

This would seem to come as no surprise in a campaign season marred by violence.

At least 25 candidates have been murdered since campaigning began for roughly 20,000 positions across the country — from the presidency and governorships, to both houses of Congress and various local posts.

In all, more than 450,000 people have been murdered since Mexico began fighting its war on drugs in 2006.

Thousands of soldiers have been deployed at polling stations around the country for Sunday's vote.

A well-dressed man and woman (Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and his wife Beatriz) wave and show a voting card as they walk past a crowd of onlookers

Ruling Morena Party hopes to expand power, change constitution

Currently, the Morena Party holds 23 of Mexico's 32 governorships as well as a simple majority in Congress. The party hopes to win a two-thirds majority in both houses in order to amend the constitution, allowing it to do away with oversight agencies it claims are wasteful.

Opposition candidates say such changes would endanger Mexican democracy.

Early turnout appeared to be high throughout most of the country on Sunday. Preliminary returns are expected around 9 p.m. (0000 GMT) Sunday evening.