Venezuela Celebrates Leftist Claudia Sheinbaum’s ‘Resounding Victory’ in Mexican Election

Mexico City, Mexico, June 3, 2024 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Venezuelan government congratulated the landslide victory of the leftist coalition in Mexico’s presidential election Sunday that saw Claudia Sheinbaum defeat her right-wing rival by 30 points.

“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela congratulates the great victory of the Mexican people and the elected president Claudia Sheinbaum,” read a message shared by Foreign Minister Yván Gil.

Caracas went on to praise the “resounding victory over the retrograde right” in Mexico.

“[The victory] guarantees that the necessary transformations will continue to advance with the strength required for the well-being of all of Mexico,” the statement concluded.

Preliminary results on Sunday evening showed Sheinbaum beating Xóchitl Gálvez, running on behalf of a coalition of opposition parties, by a 2:1 margin, and receiving the highest vote share in Mexico’s democratic history.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro likewise celebrated the victory of Sheinbaum, who ran on behalf of a coalition led by the Morena party.

“We have seen an extraordinary demonstration of civility and democracy this Sunday June 2 in Mexico, a great participation in the presidential elections,” wrote Maduro on social media. “I congratulate this noble people, its President-Elect Claudia Sheinbaum, the Morena Party, the PT and the social movements,” 

Sheinbaum replied and thanked the Venezuelan president on Monday afternoon.

Maduro also sent a heartfelt message to outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who was constitutionally limited from seeking a second term.

The election of López Obrador, also from the Morena party, in 2018 marked a dramatic shift in Mexico’s foreign policy toward Venezuela. Previous Washington-friendly governments in Mexico had joined efforts to marginalize the Maduro government. Former President Enrique Peña Nieto was among the group of Latin American countries that recognized Venezuela’s self-proclaimed “Interim President” Juan Guaidó. 

AMLO, as the Mexican president is widely known, opted instead to respect the democratically elected government and re-established diplomatic and economic ties with Venezuela. He also pushed for the strengthening of regional integration mechanisms such as CELAC. Morena and the United Socialist Party of Venezuela enjoy close relations as well. 

“President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who concludes a historic mandate, with robust national and international leadership, has dignified our region, becoming one of the main references in the fight against imperialism and neocolonialism, always defending the sovereignty of the Latin American people,” read the statement by the Venezuelan government.

Among the international visitors in Mexico to observe the election was former Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza and the President of the Simón Bolívar Institute Carlos Ron. The pair witnessed the vote in several polling locations throughout the Mexican capital. 

In videos shared on social media, Arreaza, who now serves as secretary-general of the ALBA-TCP bloc, praised Mexico’s “vibrant” democracy. In an interview with teleSUR, he pointed to the Mexican government’s successful public policy in uplifting working class living standards as one of the main reasons why Sheinbaum received overwhelming support in the election.

Morena and its allies also secured a two-thirds majority in the lower house of Congress, allowing the incoming government to pursue structural changes via constitutional reforms without the need to negotiate with opposition forces.

ALBA Movimientos, which brings together various social movements from throughout the Americas, likewise celebrated Morena’s and Sheinbaum’s triumph in Sunday’s elections.

“From ALBA Movimientos we congratulate the people of the first revolution of our continent. The glorious and revolutionary Mexican people elected Claudia Sheinbaum, the first female president of Mexico,” read a communique by the organization.

Edited by Ricardo Vaz in Caracas.