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STORY: :: Claudia Sheinbaum is expected to become

Mexico's first woman president in a historic vote

:: Mexico City

:: June 2, 2024

:: Outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador

is her mentor and has loomed over the campaign

:: Xochitl Galvez represents an opposition coalition

:: The elections are the biggest in Mexico's

history, with about 20,000 posts on the ballots

Sheinbaum has led in opinion polls over her main competitor Xochitl Galvez, who represents an opposition coalition comprised of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which ruled Mexico for about seven decades until democratic elections in 2000, the right-wing PAN and the leftist PRD party.

Outgoing president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is Sheinbaum's mentor.

A victory by either woman would represent a major step for Mexico, a country known for its macho culture. The winner, set to begin a six-year term on Oct. 1, will face formidable challenges including addressing organized crime violence.

Almost 100 million Mexicans are eligible to vote in Sunday's election. Other positions up for grabs include Mexico City's mayor, eight governorships and both chambers of Congress.

The first official preliminary results are expected late on Sunday.