International
The ruling party assures that Claudia Sheinbaum will be the first female president of Mexico
The president of the ruling party Movimiento de Regeneración Nacional (Morena), Mario Delgado, assured that his candidate, Claudia Sheinbaum, will be “the first female president” of Mexico to prevail in the presidential elections.
“We are fortunate to live in a stellar moment in the history of our country and also for our Latin America and the world. Claudia Sheinbaum will be the first female president in the history of North America,” Delgado said at the campaign headquarters in the Mexican capital.
The announcement of the ruling party comes after the closure of the voting centers at 18:00 local time (00:00 GMT), although the National Electoral Institute (INE) still does not offer official results.
According to Delgado, his exit polls give Sheinbaum a “very wide” advantage over the opposition candidate, Xóchitl Gálvez, with “two to one difference.”
“There is no doubt about Claudia Sheinbaum’s triumph,” said the leader of Morena.
Delgado described the former head of government of Mexico City (2018-2023) as “a woman who has conquered the people of Mexico” along with “a popular movement that has touched the hearts of Mexicans.”
“She is also a woman who has dedicated a large part of her life to walking with the greatest leader of our time, Andrés Manuel López Obrador,” she continued.
Morena’s national leader assured that this “represents the irrefutable triumph of women against machismo, inequality and violence” and that with his “inspiration” he will “guarantee the change to the destiny of women in the country.”
“As an indigenous woman in Chiapas (southern state of Mexico) told our candidate and future president, it represents the unfulfilled dream of her grandmothers,” he added.
On the other hand, Delgado pointed out that Sheinbaum managed to “close his mouth to a tiny opposition” which he also called “racist, classist and corrupt.”
“The people have shown that they do not let themselves be fooled, neither by hate campaigns, nor by lies. The votes beat the bots,” he said.
In turn, Delgado said that Morena will win the “full car in these elections,” that is, the main executive positions.
“Just as we set ourselves the goal, that we were going for 10 out of 10, the eight governornacies (state), the head of government (Mexico City) and you know which one else,” Delgado said at a press conference after the closure of voting centers in the majority of the country at 18:00 local time (00:00 GMT).
Although there are still no official results, Morena’s leader assured in the party’s operations center in the Mexican capital that his projections point to “a resounding triumph of Clara Brugada, who will be the next head of government” of Mexico City. The former DF had Claudia Sheinbaum, she ruled from 2018 to 2023.
In addition, he said that the polls give the triumph to his candidates in Jalisco, Claudia Delgadillo, and in Veracruz, to Rocío Nahle, which would imply governing in some of the most populated entities in the country.
He also asserted that his candidates for the state governments of Yucatan, Morelos, Puebla, Chiapas and Tabasco are shaping up winners.
Finally, in Guanajuato, one of the main bastions of the opposition, he said that there are “very closed numbers,” so they will “wait to have the minutes to defend the triumph.”
Delgado argued that he could not give more details of the presidential result “because the boxes (voting tables) are still open in some entities of the country” and they still cannot “make any reference to the federal election.”
“We are taking a full car in these elections,” he insisted.
If not governing in any state before the 2018 election, Morena now controls 21 entities, plus two other of her allies, the Green Party in San Luis Potosí and the Social Encounter Party (PES) in Morelos.
This Sunday’s main contest will define who will succeed López Obrador, who expects the triumph of the ruling party, Sheinbaum, over the opponents Xóchitl Gálvez, of the coalition of Fuerza y Corazón por México, and Jorge Álvarez Máynez, of Movimiento Ciudadano (MC).
The National Electoral Institute (INE) will publish the Preliminary Electoral Results Program (PREP) from 20:00 central hours (02:00 GMT), while between 22:00 and 23:00 local time (04:00 and 05:00 GMT) it will announce the quick count, which can define the winner of the presidency.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
International
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.
Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.
The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”
International
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.
The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”
The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”
Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.
The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
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