Claudia Sheinbaum likely to win Mexican Presidential elections, exit polls show

Mexico City [Mexico]: Claudia Sheinbaum, is likely to win the Presidential elections of Mexico, and create history when she becomes the violence-plagued nation's first female President, showed El Financiero exit poll on Sunday.

Alejandro Moreno, head of Surveys and Opinion Studies at El Financiero, announced the first findings following the closure of polling stations across the nation. "What this exit poll projects, here we can project Claudia Sheinbaum as the winner in the presidential race. There is no difference that makes us doubt the margin of error," she explained.

El Financiero is a Mexican national daily newspaper covering business and the financial markets. Sheinbaum, a former mayor of Mexico City "will be the first female president in our history!", Morena Party chief Mario Delgado said, referring to exit polls, reported CNN.

Mexico's ruling Morena party and the opposition alliance are claiming early victories in the country's elections, despite the fact that the National Electoral Institute (INE) has yet to declare official results.

However, Xochitl Galvez, the opposition alliance's presidential candidate, stated that her coalition won the elections and urged President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to respect Mexican voters. 

Both announcements took place right after National Electoral Institute (INE) chief Guadalupe Taddei Zavala urged political parties to "respect the rules of the game and accept the results with maturity and responsibility." Mexicans voted for both national and local candidates in a massive and historic election on Sunday.

The election was said to be the largest in the country's history, with over 98 million eligible voters, and over 20,000 public offices being contested, according to CNN. The leading presidential race is noted to be between Claudia Sheinbaum of the leftist Morena party and Xochitl Galvez of the opposition coalition.

The third candidate is Jorge Alvarez Maynez from the center-left Citizens' Movement.

The polling stations across the country, as per the National Electoral Institute of Mexico (INE), were closed on Sunday evening. Official results have not yet been announced by the INE, however, Sheinbaum continues to lead the race as per INE figures.

The vote comes just months before the US presidential election, where immigration is a major focus for Donald Trump and Joe Biden's election campaigns. Mexico is a vital US ally on a multitude of issues, including trade and migration management.

(ANI)