Mexico’s first female president takes office – DNyuz

Claudia Sheinbaum will take office Tuesday as the first woman and Jewish person to lead Mexico in the country’s more than 200-year history as an independent nation.

Ms. Sheinbaum, a former climate scientist and mayor of Mexico City, won the general election in June by a landslide, and will succeed her mentor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, as president of the world’s largest Spanish-speaking country — and the top United States . trading partner.

Ms. Sheinbaum, a left-winger, campaigned on a promise to continue her predecessor’s legacy, and her victory was seen by many as a clear vote of confidence in Mr. López Obrador and the party he founded, Morena.

In Mexico, a country steeped in machismo where seven in 10 women have experienced some form of violence, Ms. Sheinbaum’s inauguration is a milestone and a symbol of the empowerment of many women.

But she also takes office in a country with the largest budget deficit in decades, a deepening security crisis and an increasingly powerful ruling party that has taken steps to fundamentally redesign the justice system and other aspects of public life through a series of proposed constitutional amendments by Mr López Obrador.

Here’s what you need to know about Mexico’s new president.

Who is Claudia Sheinbaum?

Ms. Sheinbaum’s list of accomplishments is long: She holds a Ph.D. in energy engineering, participated in a Nobel Peace Prize-winning panel of United Nations climate scientists and governed the capital, one of the largest cities in the hemisphere.

Ms. Sheinbaum (pronounced SHANE-balm), 62, calls herself “obsessive” and “disciplined.” Her employees describe her as a tough boss with a short temper who inspires both fear and adoration – someone who is more comfortable quietly getting things done than selling herself or her achievements.

To many people, she is largely seen as a tension-free, almost aloof politician – the opposite of Mr López Obrador, who founded and built Morena around his outsized personality and undeniable charisma.

Ms. Sheinbaum, a descendant of Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews who immigrated to Mexico in the 20th century, is also the country’s first Jewish president — a turning point for some and a trivial detail for others, who have rarely seen her discuss her heritage.

Analysts say Ms. Sheinbaum’s government will try to combine her technocratic and pragmatic approach to governing with Mr. López Obrador’s populist rhetoric. Sometimes she backed away from his policies. During the pandemic, she tested aggressively while he relied on good luck charms; in fighting crime, she invested in intelligence and the police, while he relied on the military.

But during the campaign she supported many of Mr. López Obrador’s most controversial policies, including a series of constitutional changes that critics say would seriously undermine democratic checks and balances. As a result, the new president has challenged the view among some Mexicans that she could be little more than a pawn to her mentor.

In her own words, Ms. Sheinbaum said she represents a new direction for Mexico but remains true to the values ​​of Mr. López Obrador and the ruling Morena party.

“It is change because I am a different person, because I am a woman, because I was born in Mexico City, because I am a scientist,” Ms. Sheinbaum cFI?si=m00VMIlnIXgILWMh” rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=” _blank”>said in a recent video message. “But there is no change in the principles.”

What challenges will she face?

Ms. Sheinbaum will come under pressure to make progress in the fight against the increasingly powerful drug cartels, which maintain their control over large parts of Mexico. While homicides fell modestly during the López Obrador administration, reports of extortion and disappearances have skyrocketed since 2018. The number of murders, including mass murders, remains at an all-time high. And once peaceful regions, such as the southern state of Chiapas, have witnessed mass displacement due to the invasion of organized crime.

In recent weeks, violence between warring factions of the Sinaloa cartel has led to a spike in deaths and kidnappings in northwestern Mexico, bringing the lives of people in cities like Culiacán to a standstill.

Ms. Sheinbaum will have little financial room to maneuver to fulfill her campaign promises. Mexico’s budget deficit is approaching 6 percent of gross domestic product, the largest deficit in the past 24 years. Pemex, the state-controlled oil giant, is now the most indebted oil company in the world and in need of multi-billion dollar bailouts.

And, experts say, it will be up to Ms. Sheinbaum to deal with the fallout from the constitutional changes that Mr. López Obrador pushed through in the final weeks of his government. Critics warn that one, which would require thousands of judges to be elected by popular vote next year, could erode judicial independence.

What are her plans?

In addition to continuing Mr. López Obrador’s infrastructure projects and maintaining his popular anti-poverty programs, including an annual increase in the minimum wage, Ms. Sheinbaum comes to office with her own plans.

She has announced that all women aged 60 to 64 will receive a cash payment; Currently, an old-age pension is granted to everyone aged 65 and over. She has said most of the children will receive scholarships, which would be an extension of an existing social program. And starting next year, she said, 20,000 doctors and nurses would begin visiting the homes of older Mexicans — an effort to reverse the massive decline in access to public health care in recent years.

Unlike her predecessor, Ms. Sheinbaum also wants to expand renewable energy infrastructure and increase green technology. At the same time, she has vowed to bail out Mexico’s massively indebted oil company and support a costly $16 billion oil refinery that is far from fully operational.

Then there’s security. Ms. Sheinbaum has indicated that she will allow the armed forces to retain the power granted to them by Mr. López Obrador during his administration. But she also plans to create a new intelligence agency, with the ability to investigate criminal cases and copy the law-and-order approach she took in Mexico City.

Two other innovations that have been applauded by critics and supporters alike: her elevation of the National Women’s Institute and the Mexican Science Agency to ministries.

What will her relationship with the US look like?

A real test for Ms. Sheinbaum’s leadership could come later this year, once the outcome of the U.S. presidential election becomes clear.

A victory by Vice President Kamala Harris would likely expand the Biden administration’s relationship with Mexico, which has been characterized by a tense but enduring partnership to strengthen migration enforcement, counter drug trafficking and stem the flow of U.S. weapons to stop fueling bloodshed. south of the border. And some U.S. officials have said privately that they believe security coordination with Ms. Sheinbaum could improve.

But a second term for former President Donald J. Trump could increase tensions between the two countries. Mr Trump has threatened to impose tariffs if he wins the election. And he has proposed using American military force against the drug cartels on Mexican soil – without permission from the Mexican government.

The plans threaten to sever the United States’ relationship with the Sheinbaum administration and curtail other forms of cooperation. Still, Ms. Sheinbaum and members of her administration told The New York Times that she is willing to work with whichever candidate wins the U.S. election.

What does a female president mean for Mexico?

Ms. Sheinbaum’s victory has given hope to many Mexican women, but has also disappointed others who say her feminist statements contrast with her pledge to protect her predecessor’s vision.

Although Mr. López Obrador embraced gender equality and women’s rights — his Cabinet included more women than any other — he often rejected record-high levels of violence against women. He also derided women’s rights activists as manipulated by Mexico’s conservative groups and accused them of opposing his transformational agenda.

As mayor, Ms. Sheinbaum supported the creation of a special prosecutor’s office to investigate femicides. Her programs helped reduce violent deaths among women by 34 percent.

But she also called the women’s rights demonstrations in the capital to protest the rape of a minor by police officers “provocations.” According to a report by Amnesty International, female protesters faced excessive use of force by authorities under her command.

The message Mexico’s first female president takes office for the first time in the New York Times.