Mexico's Sheinbaum wins landslide to become country's first woman president

People walk in a touristy area of bars and restaurants, ahead of Sunday's general elections, in Mexico City, Mexico May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril

MEXICO CITY -Claudia Sheinbaum won a landslide victory to become Mexico's first female president, inheriting the project of her mentor and outgoing leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador whose popularity among the poor helped drive her triumph.

Sheinbaum, a climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, won the presidency with between 58.3% and 60.7% of the vote, according to a rapid sample count by Mexico's electoral authority. That is set to be the highest vote percentage in Mexico's democratic history.