The joy in Mexico’s election

Despite persistent violence, voters seek a freedom from fear by embracing two presidential candidates marking a historic change.

The Monitor's View

Every now and then, an election draws back a curtain, revealing a society striving toward its higher ideals. Mexico is in the middle of such revelation.

On June 2, voters will elect a new president, Congress, and thousands of local officials. Their top concern is violent crime, polls show. That is understandable. Some 200 armed groups operate throughout the country. The campaign is already on course to have the most assassinations or other acts of political aggression in history, the Wilson Center reports.

It may be surprising, then, that violent intimidation is not the prevailing sentiment among Mexico’s 130 million citizens. In weekly surveys by MilenIA, Central de Datos e Inteligencia Artificial, a social media tracker, Mexicans described their outlook for the country more with words such as “joy” and "trust” than with words such as “anger” and “fear.” After the first presidential debate last week, positive reactions outweighed negative reactions by as much as 80%.

One reason for that optimism is a sense of history being made. The two top presidential candidates are women. By a large margin (52% to 15%), voters said a female president is the best option for the future. That view is nearly equally held by men and women, polling by the Americas Society/Council of the Americas has found.

The qualifications of the two main candidates are a good part of their appeal. Claudia Sheinbaum, representing the ruling party, holds a Ph.D. in energy engineering. She served on a United Nations panel on climate change that won a Nobel Peace Prize. As mayor of Mexico City from 2018 to 2023, she oversaw a dramatic reduction in the capital’s homicide rate. Her opponent, Xóchitl Gálvez, is also a trained engineer. She lifted herself out of poverty to a distinguished career, first in business and now as a senator.

Mexico’s struggle against organized crime is also a chronicle of its growth into democratic maturity. The country broke free from single-party rule only in the late 1990s. Since then, it has been seeking models of law enforcement and political pluralism immune from the corrupting influence of the cartels.

This election marks an important step in that evolution. The two candidates – and a third, trailing further behind – differ on how to grow the economy. But their proposals for countering crime reflect similar degrees of compassion for people most vulnerable to violent crime, such as women and youth. Last month, the presidential candidates signed a National Commitment to Peace, organized by a coalition of interfaith religious leaders.

Ms. Sheinbaum emphasizes building schools and universities. Ms. Gálvez seeks higher salaries for police officers and their families. Ms. Sheinbaum talks about “the construction of peace.” Ms. Gálvez envisions “Mexico without fear.” One of them will be Mexico’s next president. A country weary of violence is already registering its approval with joy and trust.