Claudia Sheinbaum. PHOTO[COURTESY]
Former mayor of Mexico city, Claudia Sheinbaum has won Mexico elections in what the authorities termed as the largest election in Mexico’s history.
In the election, Sheinbaum made history as the first woman and Jewish person to be elected president of Mexico, as two women competed for the nation’s leadership, drawing the largest number of voters.
The 61-year-old climate scientist will replace the outgoing President and longtime ally Andrés Manuel López Obrador.In a victory speech delivered on early Monday morning, Sheinbaum said, “Our duty is and will always be to look after every single Mexican without distinction,”
“Even though many Mexicans do not fully agree with our project, we will have to walk in peace and harmony to continue building a fair and more prosperous Mexico.”
Here are few things you should know about Sheinbaum:
- Sheinbaum was born in Mexico City in 1962.
- She gained interest in student politics while studying for her undergraduate degree at National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) where she protested against privatization of public education.
- On graduating from UNAM, she pursued a Master’s degree in energy engineering at the University of California, Berkeley and returned to UNAM for doctoral studies.
- Sheinbaum was appointed environment secretary of Mexico City by Obrador, later the head of the city’s government.
- Sheinbaum joined the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and in 2007 became part of the team that received the Nobel Peace Prize.
- Between 2015 and 2017, Sheinbaum served as the first woman elected as head of Tlalpan district of Mexico.
- In 2018, she was elected as the first woman head of government of the whole city and served until June 2023.
- Moreover, she is a mother of two and has one grandchild. Her significant other, Jesùs María Tarriba is a financial risk specialist at the Bank of Mexico.
