Claudia Sheinbaum, who won Mexico's presidential vote in June, is finally declared president-elect

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Claudia Sheinbaum, the woman who won Mexico’s June 2 presidential vote, has finally been formally declared Mexico’s President-elect, the first woman to hold the office in Mexico.

At a ceremony Thursday, the former Mexico City mayor was handed the legal ruling declaring her the country’s next president. The ruling had been delayed by appeals before the federal electoral tribunal.

Sheinbaum will be sworn in as president on Oct. 1, instead of the usual Dec. 1 swearing-in ceremony. The transition period was shortened after Mexican legislators judged that outgoing presidents stayed too long in office. Sheinbaum will serve a six-year term through 2030.

Sheinbaum has pledged to follow all the policies of her predecessor and political mentor, outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

She wasted no time in saying that López Obrador's “hugs, not bullets” policy of not confronting the country's powerful drug cartels was here to stay. The policy, which stresses hand-out programs to reduce the pool of cartel recruits, has proved ineffective at stemming the wave of drug violence.

“The war against drugs will not return," Sheinbaum said.

Sheinbaum won with almost 60% of the vote, about double the number of her nearest competitor, Xóchitl Gálvez.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Mexican President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, accompanied by husband Jesus Maria Tarriba, waves as she leaves a ceremony certifying her as the winner of the presidential election, at the Federal Electoral Tribunal in Mexico City, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Mexico City Mayor-elect Clara Brugada waves as she arrives to a ceremony to certify Mexican President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum as the winner of the presidential election, at the Federal Electoral Tribunal in Mexico City, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Mexican President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum poses for a photo after her certification as the winner of the presidential election during a ceremony at the Federal Electoral Tribunal in Mexico City, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Mexican President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, accompanied by husband Jesus Maria Tarriba, waves as she arrives to a ceremony to certify her as the winner of the presidential election at the Federal Electoral Tribunal, in Mexico City, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Mexican President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, accompanied by husband Jesus Maria Tarriba, holds the official document certifying her as the winner of the presidential election as she leaves the Federal Electoral Tribunal, in Mexico City, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Anti-war protesters clashed with police on Wednesday outside a military arms convention in the Australian city of Melbourne.

Protesters hurled bottles, rocks and horse manure, a police statement said. They also sprayed officers with liquid irritants, some of which were identified as acid, police said.

Police retaliated with pepper spray, flash distraction devices and rubber bullets, which are designed to inflict pain without penetrating the skin.

At least 24 officers required medical treatment. Police arrested 39 protesters for offenses such as assault, arson and blocking roadways.

“Victoria Police is appalled at the behavior of some of the protesters,” the statement said, referring to the Victoria state force.

Around 1,800 police officers have been deployed to a Melbourne convention center where the Land Forces International Land Defense Exposition is taking place through Friday.

Some of the convention attendees also were assaulted, police said.

Protesters also threw rocks, horse manure and tomatoes at police horses and officers with shields and wearing riot gear. A police officer on horseback struck a protester with a riding crop and a line of police were seen forcing protesters away from the convention center.

Police said some protesters targeted the horses, but no animal sustained serious injury.

Roads have been closed and traffic was disrupted by the protests, organized by Students for Palestine and Disrupt Wars groups. The organizers hoped up to 25,000 protesters would turn out.

Police estimated 1,200 protesters had surrounded the convention center by noon.

Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said it was the state police force's biggest planned deployment since Melbourne hosted the World Economic Forum in 2000 and backed his officers' use of force. He said the protesters had planned for conflict.

"They come here to protest ... anti-war so presumably anti-violence," Patton told reporters. “The only way I can describe them is a bunch of hypocrites.”

Students for Palestine national co-convenor Jasmine Duff blamed police for the protest violence.

“They used serious weapons on peace activists that should be banned for use on demonstrators, including pepper spray, which is classified as a chemical weapon,” Duff said in a statement.

“They hit us with batons, including hitting one man so hard he had to go to hospital and they shot us with rubber bullets,” she added.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called on protesters to show respect for police.

“People have a right to protest peacefully, but you don’t say you’re opposed to defense equipment by throwing things at police,” Albanese told Seven Network television. “They’ve got a job to do and our police officers should be respected at all times."

The organizer of the biennial convention, AMDA Foundation, said it would not comment on protester activity.

The gathering brings together arms industry figures from Australia, the United States, Asia and Europe. In 2022, the convention was held in the city of Brisbane where protests were more subdued.

A protester gestures as Victorian police clash with anti-war protesters outside a military arms convention in downtown Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Joel Carrett/AAP Image via AP)

A protester gestures to Victorian police at an anti-war protest outside a military arms convention in downtown Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Con Chronis/AAP Image via AP)

Victoria Police man barricades outside a military arms convention in downtown Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Rod McGuirk)

Victoria Police clash with anti-war protesters outside a military arms convention in downtown Melbourne, Australia,Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Joel Carrett/AAP Image via AP)

Victoria Police clash with anti-war protesters outside a military arms convention in downtown Melbourne, Australia,Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Joel Carret/AAP Image via AP)