Mexico gets its first female President; it's Sheinbaum

Claudia Sheinbaum has been elected as Mexico's first female president in a historic victory.

Mexico's official election authority has said that preliminary results have shown that Sheinbaum, the 61-year-old former mayor of Mexico City, won between 58% and 60% of the vote in last Sunday's election.

The result gives the woman a lead of more than 30 percentage points over her main rival, businessman Xóchitl Gálvez.

Ms. Sheinbaum will replace outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on October 1.

Voters were also electing all members of the Mexican Congress and governors in eight states, as well as the head of government of Mexico City. Reports state that the election campaign was hit by violent attacks.

The government says more than 20 regional candidates have been killed across Mexico, although private investigations put the total at 37.

Two people were reported killed in two attacks on polling stations in Puebla state on Sunday, government officials said.