The EU congratulated Claudia Sheinbaum who made history and won the presidential elections in Mexico last Sunday after a landslide victory with almost 60% of the votes against the other female main candidate, Xóchitl Gálvez, who received 28%.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated her on Monday on X as the first women to become president of Mexico. “Mexico and the EU share deep historical, economic and cultural ties. I look forward to strengthening our bilateral relations under your leadership.”
EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, issued a statement and congratulated her on her historic election. He also commended the “Mexican people for their strong attachment to democracy demonstrated throughout the campaign for the general elections and on election day”.
Sheinbaum made also history as the first woman and person of Jewish origin elected as president of the country. She was born in a secular family, with grandparents emigrating to Mexico from Europe escaping the Holocaust, and religion did not play a role in her life. A scientist by profession, she made a political career as environment minister and mayor of Mexico City.
As successor to the incumbent president, Andrés Manuel Lopéz Obrador, who founded the leftist movement Morena, she has promised to continue his populist policy but will face the same challenges as Obrador who is considered as her mentor.
During the elections she supported constitutional changes that might undermine democracy. It remains to be seen if she will deviate from his policies and pursue new independent policies to solve the socio-economic problems in the country.
The voter turnout was relatively high, about 60%, but the elections were marred but the death of 37 candidates who were murdered by the drug cartels in the country. The murder rate in Mexico City has declined but, overall in the country, is among the highest in the world. A worrying trend is militarization with the military involved in running state businesses and fighting crime.
The EU is Mexico's third largest trading partner, after the United States and China. Trade between the two totaled 88.8 billion dollars in 2023, the highest level in the history of the bilateral relationship. Furthermore, since 2008, Mexico has been one of the ten strategic partners of the EU.
The 2008 Strategic Association strengthened bilateral relations and comprises four thematic areas: politics, security, the environment and socioeconomic matters. In his statement, High Representative Borrell wrote that the EU wants to further strengthen its strategic partnership with Mexico, built on common interests in many areas, including democracy and human rights.
Peter Stano, lead spokesperson for foreign affairs, confirmed that the partnership also includes social issues and human right dialogue with the new administration.
M. Apelblat
The Brussels Times
