Mexico could elect its first female president next year

On June 4th voters in the state of Mexico, the most populous in the country of the same name, will elect a new governor. The vote is widely seen as a testing ground for general elections due next year. Delfina Gómez, a former education minister, is polling far ahead of her rival. If she wins, it will suggest her party, Morena, is well positioned for next year’s polls. Morena was founded by Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico’s leader. He cannot run again. As a result the presidential vote next year could see another woman win big: Claudia Sheinbaum, the mayor of Mexico City. She would be the first female head of state. But she could struggle to shake off the legacy of Mr López Obrador, her mentor.

When Mr López Obrador won the election in 2018, with 53% of the vote, it appeared to mark a sea-change in Mexican politics. For decades the country had been dominated by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), a centre-right party that ruled Mexico for 71 years until 2000. Opposition had been provided by the National Action Party (PAN), a conservative group that held the presidency for two terms from 2000 to 2012, and the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), a left-wing outfit. By 2018 many voters fed up with the status quo felt hopeful that Mr López Obrador could deliver change. He promised to end corruption, reduce inequality and tackle gang violence.