Mexico’s elections will likely lead to female president

Three things stand out about this Sunday’s elections in Mexico. First, the country is likely to emerge with its first female president; the ruling party’s Claudia Sheinbaum and the opposition’s Xochitl Galvez hold a wide lead over their male rival. Second, it’s been the most violent run-up to a vote in recent Mexican history, with more than 20 candidates killed and hundreds threatened by criminal gangs. The final point, says Eurasia analyst Matias Gomez Leautaud, is the immense popularity of outgoing president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose daily mañanera press briefings – often funny, and often used to attack critics – turned him into the most-watched Spanish-speaking YouTuber in Latin America in 2023.