Xóchitl Gálvez, Mexico’s presidential candidate for the opposition coalition PRI-PAN-PRD, defines herself as “the bravest woman who will face crime,” according to posts on X.
As part of her agenda leading up to Mexico’s 2024 presidential elections, she has reiterated her commitment to security, saying “We will act with all the force and capacity of the State so you can live in a #MxSinMiedo” (Mexico without fear).
Gálvez says on her website that she is “a woman of liberties, who respects institutions, and who will be brave to confront organized crime.” For her supporters, her candidacy represents a committed alternative to citizen protection. She proposes implementing security strategies in Mexico to “modernize the police forces in Puebla and all of Mexico so they can protect the population and send criminals to jail.”
Gálvez promises to end fuel theft and advocates for a salary increase of 20,000 pesos (about US $1,200), housing credits, and scholarships for municipal police officers, emphasizing the importance of “taking care of those who take care of us.”
Committed to providing universal access to medical care and medications through the “My Health” Card, Gálvez aims to strengthen the healthcare system and ensure the well-being of all families, as stated in posts on X.
Her path to the candidacy: Gálvez was born on February 22, 1963, in Tepatepec, Hidalgo, into a low-income family, with a mestiza mother and an indigenous father. Her personal story has led her to be an advocate for indigenous rights and gender equality.
Despite economic challenges, Gálvez accessed university education through a scholarship, studying at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, where she met her current partner, Rubén Sánchez, a Mexican businessman who could become the first gentleman of Mexico if Gálvez wins.
She carved her path in the business world starting in 1992 when she established High Tech Services Consulting, a pioneering company in the fields of smart buildings, energy efficiency, process automation and telecommunications. By 2000, she had become the first Mexican woman included in the list of 100 Global Leaders for the Future at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
She served as the head and general director of the National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples from 2003 to 2006. In the 2015 local elections in Mexico City, Gálvez ran as a candidate for the head of the Miguel Hidalgo borough for the National Action Party (PAN), winning with 32% of the vote and serving until March 15, 2018. In 2018, she ran for the Senate representing Mexico City for the “Por México al Frente” coalition (PAN, MC and PRD) and was also a candidate on the proportional representation list of the PRD, securing a Senate seat.
Translated by Karol Suarez. CNN’s Rey Rodríguez, Krupskaia Alís, and Aitana Ocaña contributed reporting to this post.