despite the macho violence that overwhelms society, a president will take charge of the country

Mexico is one of the countries with the most feminicides in the world. Every day, ten women are murdered there. However, Sunday’s presidential elections will be played out in an unprecedented duel between two candidates.

This unprecedented duel between two candidates for the highest authorities in the country contrasts with the “machismo” and endemic violence of Mexican society, and illustrates the progress of female politicians in positions of responsibility. While the country records an average of 3,000 femicides per year, voters will choose their president on Sunday June 2 from two candidates: on the left, Claudia Sheinbaum and, on the right, Xochitl Galvez.

The Supreme Court, the Senate and the House of Representatives are today led by women. In recent years, new crimes have been added to the Penal Code: digital violence, coercive violence, or more chilling crimes such as acid disfigurement. A legal arsenal intended to keep Mexican women safe.

This progress is driven by the Mexican feminist revolt. Between 2018 and 2020, the country saw an uprising of tens of thousands of women to denounce femicide, daily domestic violence, and also to denounce the inaction of the justice system. This justice, an organized, very articulate network, had worked for the accession to power of outgoing president Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador.

But this mandate did not convince, since during this period, feminicides increased by 120%, a lack of results denounced by these feminist movements. His heir Claudia Sheinbaum, the left-wing candidate, nevertheless tries to defend the record of the outgoing president and to highlight “social feminism”: “Financial, political, physical autonomy, for me, that’s what feminism is. The State must also protect women and at home we say: for the good of all, let’s start with the poor, because that’s where that there is the most inequality.”

This kind of political concept is rejected by Mexican activists, who ended up distinguishing “autonomous” feminists, favoring grassroots actions, from “institutional” feminists, which also includes the right-wing candidate Xochitl Galvez: “I will be the ally of women, I will be the president who defends women and I warn you, whoever attacks a woman will attack the president.”

But it is not certain that these beautiful speeches will succeed in convincing the historical branch of Mexican feminism, a movement embodied by the singer Vivir Quintana, which like the others demands results. Today, 95% of prosecutions for femicide result in no conviction. In a letter addressed to the two candidates, Vivir Quintana asks them to act with “integrity and justice” : “In Mexico, we are mobilizing more for the condition of women than against wild feminicides, but imagine that one day you arrive home and are told that we found your 5-year-old daughter in a suitcase !”