Mexico Joins List of Latin American Nations That Have Elected Female Presidents
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s leftist presidential candidate, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, won a landslide victory on Sunday, ending seven decades of rule by the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, and ushering in a new era of politics in Latin America’s second-largest economy.
Mr. López Obrador, 64, a former mayor of Mexico City, won 53.2 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results, with his closest rival, Ricardo Anaya, of the conservative National Action Party, receiving 22.2 percent.
The election of Mr. López Obrador, who has promised to fight corruption and reduce inequality, is a significant moment for Mexico, which has been ruled by the PRI for most of the past 90 years. It is also a milestone for Latin America, where women have been elected president in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua.
“The people have spoken,” Mr. López Obrador said in a speech to supporters in Mexico City. “We are going to govern for all Mexicans, for the good of all Mexicans.”
Mr. López Obrador’s victory was a rebuke to the PRI, which had been expected to win the election. The party’s candidate, José Antonio Meade, finished a distant third, with 16.4 percent of the vote.
Mr. Meade conceded defeat on Sunday night, saying that he had called Mr. López Obrador to congratulate him.
“I want to recognize the victory of Andrés Manuel López Obrador,” Mr. Meade said in a speech to supporters. “I want to tell him that I wish him success in the government.”
Mr. López Obrador’s victory was a surprise to many analysts, who had expected a close race between him and Mr. Anaya. Mr. López Obrador’s campaign was fueled by a wave of discontent with the political establishment, and he tapped into a deep well of anger over corruption, violence and economic inequality.