General elections were held in Mexico on 2 June 2024. Voters elected a new president to serve a six-year term, all 500 members of the Chamber of Deputies, and all 128 members of the Senate of the Republic. These elections took place concurrently with the 2024 state elections.
Claudia Sheinbaum, a member of the left-wing political party Morena, was widely regarded by her party as the top contender to succeed President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and ultimately secured the nomination of the ruling coalition, Sigamos Haciendo Historia. Xóchitl Gálvez emerged as the frontrunner of Fuerza y Corazón por México following a surge in popularity due to criticisms from López Obrador. Citizens' Movement, the only national party without a coalition, nominated Jorge Máynez. This was the first general election in Mexico's history in which most contenders for the country's presidency were women.
Sheinbaum won the presidential election by a landslide margin of over 33 points, becoming the first woman and the first person of Jewish descent to be elected president of Mexico. She was also the first Jewish woman elected head of state in Latin America. The election saw Sheinbaum receiving the highest number of votes ever recorded for a candidate in Mexican history, surpassing López Obrador's record of 30.1 million votes from 2018. Sheinbaum was officially sworn into office on 1 October 2024.
In the legislative elections, the Sigamos Haciendo Historia coalition won a supermajority in the Chamber of Deputies, securing 73% of the seats, the highest share for a party or coalition since 1982. The alliance fell three seats short of a supermajority in the Senate, but defections by the two senators elected for the PRD on 28 August closed the shortfall to one; the supermajority was ultimately secured with the defection to Morena of Cynthia López, elected for the PRI in Mexico City, on 12 November.
Background Political background In the 2018 election, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a three-time presidential candidate and founder of the National Regeneration Movement (Morena), ran as the candidate of the Juntos Haremos Historia alliance, which included Morena, the Labor Party (PT), and the Social Encounter Party (PES). He won in a landslide, securing 54.71% of the vote and defeating his closest rival, Ricardo Anaya of the Por México al Frente coalition, by nearly 31 percentage points. The Juntos Haremos Historia alliance also secured majorities in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
As president, López Obrador expanded the Mexican welfare state with programs aimed at the elderly and low-income students, raised the minimum wage significantly, and invested heavily in infrastructure projects such as the Tren Maya and the Felipe Ángeles International Airport. He combatted corruption by implementing austerity measures, including salary caps, budget cuts across the government, and the dismissal of numerous government employees. While his administration achieved a poverty reduction, it faced accusations of democratic backsliding and undermining institutional independence, including frequent attacks on journalists and judges during his morning press conferences and questioning the necessity of independent public agencies such as the INE and INAI. The country’s murder rate fell from 30 per 100,000 people in 2018 when AMLO entered office, to 28 per 100,000 people in 2021 according to World Bank data. Between 2019 and 2023 there was a 15 percent decrease in the number of murders according to public data.
During the 2021 elections, party alliances shifted significantly. The National Action Party (PAN), the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), and the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) formed a big-tent coalition to challenge Morena's growing dominance. While Juntos Hacemos Historia, an alliance of Morena, the PT, and the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (PVEM), lost its supermajority in the Chamber of Deputies, it achieved significant success in local elections, flipping numerous governorships.
López Obrador remained highly popular throughout his presidency, consistently maintaining a 60% approval rating, making him one of the most popular leaders globally.
Political violence
Political violence in Mexico typically escalates during election season, with candidates often facing threats, abductions, assaults, or assassinations. While this violence is most common at the municipal level, it can also occur at the federal level.
During the 2021 elections, 102 politicians were killed, including 36 who were nominees or candidates for public office.
By January 2024, before the campaigning period started, multiple aspiring candidates for political office had been killed. The government provided security guards to around 560 candidates and election officials. Around 27,000 Armed Forces and National Guard personnel were deployed to secure the electoral process. By May 2024, the candidate death toll had risen to 37.
Electoral system The National Electoral Institute (INE) oversees federal elections in Mexico. Its responsibilities include organizing election day logistics, producing and distributing electoral materials, counting votes, and certifying the election results.
Voters must present their voter ID at polling stations to cast their ballots. Voters with physical limitations or disabilities and voters in preventive detention can vote in advance, with electoral materials sent to the voter. Mexican citizens residing abroad who maintain their political rights can vote by registering in the Electoral Roll for Citizens Residing Abroad and casting their votes at an embassy, electronically, or by mail.
On 30 April 2024, the INE announced that there were 98,329,591 registered voters in Mexico, 187,388 registered voters abroad, 30,391 registered voters in preventive detention, and 4,002 registered for early voting.
Presidential election The president is elected by plurality voting in a single round; there is no provision for a second run-off round.Mexico IFES Article 83 of the Mexican Constitution limits the president to a single six-year term, called a sexenio; no one who has served as president, even on a caretaker basis, may run for or serve in the office again.Constitución Politica de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos. Artículo 83. 1917 (México). The new president will be sworn in on 1 October.
Legislative elections
The 500 members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected in two ways: 300 are elected in single-member constituencies by plurality vote, and the remaining 200 are elected by proportional representation in five multi-member districts, with seats divided according to Hamilton's method. No party is permitted to hold more than 300 seats. Deputies are elected for three-year terms and will serve in the 66th Congress.
The 128 members of the Senate are also elected in two ways: 96 are elected in 32 three-seat constituencies based on the country's states, and the remaining 32 in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation. In the three-seat constituencies, two seats are allocated to the party or coalition receiving the most votes (mayoría relativa) and one seat to the party or coalition receiving the second-highest votes (primera minoría). Senators are elected for six-year terms and will serve in the 66th and 67th Congresses.
Redistricting In December 2022, the INE redistributed the country's 300 electoral districts, making this the first election with the new boundaries. Minor adjustments were also made to the five multi-member constituencies, affecting the states of Hidalgo and Querétaro.
Newly created seats Seven new districts were created.
Baja California's 9th Coahuila's 8th Nuevo León's 13th Nuevo León's 14th Puebla's 16th Querétaro's 6th Yucatán's 6th
Seats eliminated Seven districts were eliminated.
Mexico City's 23rd Mexico City's 24th Guerrero's 9th State of Mexico's 41st Michoacán's 12th Tamaulipas's 9th Veracruz's 20th
Political parties and coalitions
Seven national political parties were registered with the INE and were eligible to participate in the federal elections: the National Action Party (PAN), the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), the Labor Party (PT), the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (PVEM), Citizens' Movement (MC) and the National Regeneration Movement (Morena).
The General Law of Political Parties stipulates that national political parties can form coalitions for elections by submitting a coalition agreement to the electoral authority. Parties cannot join coalitions in their first election. All parties were eligible to join an alliance in this election.
Parties failing to reach 3% of the popular vote in the presidential or legislative elections will lose their registration as a national political party.
Summary Party or allianceLeaderPositionStatusSigamos Haciendo HistoriaNational Regeneration MovementMario DelgadoCentre-left to left-wing rowspan="3" Ecologist Green Party of MexicoKaren Castrejón TrujilloCentre-leftLabor PartyAlberto AnayaLeft-wing to far-leftFuerza y Corazón por MéxicoNational Action PartyMarko Cortés MendozaCentre-right to right-wing rowspan="4" Institutional Revolutionary PartyAlejandro Moreno CárdenasCentre to centre-right or big tentParty of the Democratic RevolutionJesús Zambrano GrijalvaCentre-leftCitizens' MovementDante Delgado RannauroCentre to centre-left
Sigamos Haciendo Historia
Sigamos Haciendo Historia ("Let's Keep Making History") was established on 19 November 2023 as the direct successor to Juntos Hacemos Historia, encompassing the National Regeneration Movement (Morena), the Labor Party (PT), and the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (PVEM).
Fuerza y Corazón por México
On 26 June 2023, the leaders of the constituent parties of Va por México, a big tent opposition coalition, announced the formation of Frente Amplio por México ("Broad Front for Mexico"). Comprising the National Action Party (PAN), the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), and the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), the grouping was created to select a presidential nominee.
On 29 August 2023, Dante Delgado, the party leader of Citizens' Movement, ruled out joining Frente Amplio por México.
On 20 November 2023, the grouping registered as a coalition under the name Fuerza y Corazón por México ("Strength and Heart for Mexico"), composed of the same parties.
Presidential candidates Sigamos Haciendo Historia On 11 June 2023, Juntos Hacemos Historia, the predecessor coalition to Sigamos Haciendo Historia, announced an internal selection process to select a presumptive presidential nominee. To prevent the misuse of power, the alliance required prospective candidates to resign from their government positions before standing for nomination. The selection process was based on five opinion polls, with four conducted by polling firms suggested by the candidates and one conducted by the coalition. The polls were conducted from 28 August to 4 September.
Marcelo Ebrard, secretary of foreign affairs, was the first to register as a candidate, followed by Claudia Sheinbaum, Head of Government of Mexico City. Other candidates included Adán Augusto López, Gerardo Fernández Noroña, Ricardo Monreal, and Manuel Velasco. On 6 September 2023, Sheinbaum was declared the winner and was later confirmed as the presumptive nominee.
On 19 November 2023, the day Sigamos Haciendo Historia was officially registered as a coalition, it designated Sheinbaum as its presidential nominee. Sheinbaum formally registered her candidacy at the INE on 18 February 2024. Candidate%Claudia Sheinbaum39.38Marcelo Ebrard25.80Gerardo Fernández Noroña12.2Adán Augusto López10.0Manuel Velasco Coello7.16Ricardo Monreal5.86Nominee
Claudia Sheinbaum, Head of Government of Mexico City (2018–2023) and Mayor of Tlalpan (2015–2017)
Fuerza y Corazón por México