World leaders laud Sheinbaum’s ‘historic’ Mexico election win

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (C) delivers his 2023 state-of-the-nation address (SONA) at the Cape Town City Hall in Cape Town on February 9, 2023.
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MEXICO CITY – Congratulations have poured in from around the world after Claudia Sheinbaum was elected Mexico’s first woman president, sparking hope for change in a country where gender-based violence has long been rife.
Flag-waving supporters sang and danced to mariachi music late into the night after the former Mexico City mayor won Sunday’s election by a landslide, the magnitude of which spooked financial markets.
Addressing cheering crowds, the 61-year-old ruling party candidate thanked the “millions of Mexican women and men who decided to vote for us on this historic day.”
China congratulated Sheinbaum on Tuesday with foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning calling Mexico “a significant power” in Latin America while hailing the “positive trend of development” in the two countries’ ties.
US President Joe Biden welcomed Sheinbaum’s “historic election” and said he looked forward to working with her “in the spirit of partnership and friendship.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, another key North American ally, also offered congratulations and said he was ready to work closely with Sheinbaum to further strengthen relations.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a fellow leftist, hailed a “victory for democracy” and vowed to deepen economic ties between Latin America’s two biggest economies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky were among other leaders offering congratulations.
Sheinbaum, a scientist by training, won around 59 percent of votes with more than 93 percent of ballots counted, according to the National Electoral Institute. 
That was more than 30 percentage points ahead of her main opposition rival Xochitl Galvez, and nearly 50 percentage points ahead of the only man who ran, centrist Jorge Alvarez Maynez.