Mexico, the world's most populous Spanish-speaking country, will hold its largest ever elections on 2 June 2024. Almost 98 million voters will pick a new president, all 500 members of the Chamber of Deputies, all 128 members of the Senate of the Republic, state governors and, in total, over 20 000 public service positions, at state and local levels. One outcome is already clear: for the first time in history, the President of the United Mexican States will be a woman. The next president will have to deal with the problems that have plagued Mexico for many years, such as public security, human rights violations, migration and corruption. Economically, Mexico performed better than most other Latin American economies in 2023. The country is one of the primary beneficiaries of 'nearshoring' (the relocation of manufacturing from Asia to North America to decouple from Chinese supply chains). For the first time in two decades, the United States imported more goods from Mexico than from China. The newly elected Mexican president's foreign affairs agenda could be strongly impacted by the outcome of the 2024 US presidential election. While a second term for President Joe Biden would yield continuity, a Trump victory would imply major challenges for US-Mexico relations. The elections matter not only to Mexicans and their regional neighbours, but also to the European Union (EU). Mexico is one of the EU's two strategic partners in Latin America, its second biggest trade partner in the region and a key partner in the multilateral sphere. The modernisation of the EU Mexico Global Agreement, which the European Parliament also supports, has still to be finalised.
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