Claudia Sheinbaum has officially been inaugurated as Mexico’s first female president. The ceremony took place in Congress on Tuesday, where she succeeded outgoing president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a close ally from the Morena party.
At 62 years old, Sheinbaum, a climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, will serve a six-year term that concludes in 2030. During the inauguration, she took the oath of office in front of parliamentarians, while her supporters cheered “President! President!” and “Long live Mexico!”
“Now is the time of transformation, now is the time of women,” Sheinbaum stated during her address.
Sheinbaum assumes office with her party holding a supermajority in the lower house of the legislature and nearly the same in the Senate. She immediately sought to reassure investors, emphasizing that investments in Mexico would remain secure.
However, she will face challenges from last-minute decisions made by Lopez Obrador, notably a contentious judicial overhaul that will allow federal judges, including Supreme Court justices, to be elected by popular vote. This constitutional change has raised concerns among those advocating for judicial independence and has unsettled investors.
Additionally, Sheinbaum must navigate the upcoming U.S. election on November 5, which could impact relations with the United States, Mexico’s largest trading partner.
Later this month, she is expected to present her government’s first budget, providing insights into her ability to fulfill commitments aimed at reducing the country’s growing fiscal deficit while continuing support for welfare programs and costly crime prevention initiatives. This comes at a time when Mexico’s economy, the second-largest in Latin America, is projected to see modest growth.
Sheinbaum’s inauguration marks the peak of a political career spanning four decades, highlighted by her groundbreaking election as the first woman to govern Mexico City. Being the daughter of academic activists, she has emphasized the historical significance of her presidency.
In a recent social media post, Sheinbaum introduced a logo that features a young woman in profile raising a Mexican flag, a hairstyle that has become her signature look. She proclaimed, “A young Mexican woman will be the emblem of Mexico’s government.”
Mexico is known for being one of the most conservative countries in Latin America, with all 65 presidents since its independence from Spain being male.
During her tenure as mayor of Mexico City, Sheinbaum garnered attention for her data-driven approach, successfully halving the city’s murder rate. Her strategies focused on increasing security funding to expand the police force and provide better salaries. She has vowed to apply similar methods across the country, which continues to grapple with high crime rates and the stronghold of drug cartels. Critics, however, have questioned the feasibility of her promises.
Moreover, Sheinbaum has committed to maintaining the social welfare spending policies earlier championed by Lopez Obrador, including pensions and scholarships for youth.
With a background in energy engineering and her previous involvement with the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Sheinbaum aims to find a balanced approach to environmental policy. She has indicated a commitment to protecting the industrial supremacy of Mexico’s state-owned oil and energy companies while also pursuing renewable energy projects.
Sheinbaum shared a Nobel Peace Prize with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore in 2007 for her contributions to climate change advocacy. Before her environmental role, she served as the chief spokesperson for Lopez Obrador’s unsuccessful 2006 presidential campaign.