The two main political parties in Mexico nominated women to be their presidential candidates. Due to their immense following, one of those two women will likely be Mexico’s next president, making it the first time in the country’s history that a woman leads the nation.

This week, Mexico’s ruling party, MORENA, held its internal election where its members nominated via majority vote former Mexico City Governor Claudia Sheinbaum as their candidate. Sheinbaum has been a long-time ally and confidant of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and was seen by many as his favorite candidate.

Sheinbaum’s election was met with strong resistance by Marcelo Ebrard, a presidential hopeful from MORENA who claimed that the process had been rigged leading many to speculate that he would be running either as an independent or with another party.

Just days before Sheinbaum’s nomination, a political bloc made up of three of Mexico’s main opposition parties (PAN, PRI, and PRD) elected Xochitl Galvez as their presidential candidate. Known as the Frente Amplio Por Mexico, the bloc that Galvez represents was made as a direct opposition to Lopez Obrador in an attempt to counter the power of MORENA.

Galvez is a Mexican senator who made headlines in recent years for her outspoken criticism of the Lopez Obrador administration and the rise of cartel violence in Mexico.

As Breitbart Texas has reported, Lopez Obrador had been widely criticized by US politicians from both parties for his approach to cartel violence. Since coming to power, Lopez Obrador has called to reduce violence by not fighting against cartel gunmen. The politician claims that with social programs, he can keep people from turning to a life of crime. Various government statistics show that his efforts have driven up the murder rate and the cases of forced disappearances to record-setting levels.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.