Mexico will likely elect a woman as its next president, but money to govern is already being spent

By MARK STEVENSON
Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico is almost certain to elect its first female president in June — both leading candidates are women. But it’s almost equally certain that she won’t be able to act independently of outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The populist president is proposing new, expensive projects in the last months before he leaves office on Sept. 30. That will probably leave his handpicked successor, former Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, with her hands tied for much of her six year term. Even if opposition candidate Xóchitl Gálvez wins, she’ll be under a mountain of financial commitment and debts.