MEXICO CITY.- Xóchitl Gálvez, the opposition candidate in the Mexican presidential elections, announced her intention to challenge the results, alleging the presence of organized crime during the electoral process. The victory was awarded to her rival, Claudia Sheinbaum, with a wide difference of approximately 30 percentage points.
“I acknowledged my defeat yesterday because I am a firm defender of democracy and I trust the institutions. However, the unexpected results force us to examine what happened more closely,” said Gálvez.
The candidate stressed that her campaign faced a significant disadvantage due to the State’s support for her opponent, to which was added the presence of organized crime, which, she stated, threatened and even murdered several candidates during the electoral contest.
“We cannot allow future elections to be marred by similar irregularities. We must unite in defense of our democratic principles,” Gálvez stressed.
Although Gálvez had initially proclaimed his victory and demanded respect for the popular vote, the president of the National Electoral Institute (INE), Guadalupe Taddei, announced that Sheinbaum had obtained between 58.3% and 60.7% of the votes, while that Gálvez was between 26.6% and 28.6%, according to the quick count carried out by the organization. Jorge Álvarez Máynez came in third place with between 9.9% and 10.8% of the votes.
These elections, the largest in the history of Mexico, had the participation of more than 99.5 million citizens and were marked by violence, with the death of approximately thirty candidates. With more than 20,000 positions at stake, including the composition of the new Congress, the electoral contest has generated an intense debate about the integrity of the democratic process in the country.
Source: With information from Europa Press
