The 62-year-old former mayor of Mexico City, a lifelong leftist, campaigned on a platform of continuity, pledging to safeguard and expand the key initiatives of her mentor, former President Andr茅s Manuel L贸pez Obrador.
Claudia Sheinbaum is set to make history as Mexico바카라檚 first female president when she takes office on Tuesday. The 62-year-old former mayor of Mexico City, a lifelong leftist, campaigned on a platform of continuity, pledging to safeguard and expand the key initiatives of her mentor, former President Andr茅s Manuel L贸pez Obrador.
Since her election four months ago, Sheinbaum has consistently aligned herself with L贸pez Obrador on both major and minor issues. However, she is distinct in her leadership style바카라攎ore data-driven and less personal in her approach compared to L贸pez Obrador. As Mexico transitions under her leadership, many await to see if Sheinbaum will step out from under his shadow.
Sheinbaum has a strong scientific background, holding a Ph.D. in energy engineering. Her brother is also a physicist. In a 2023 interview with The Associated Press, Sheinbaum emphasized, 바카라淚 believe in science.바카라 Observers note that her scientific mindset was reflected in her actions as mayor during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Mexico City, under her leadership, adopted policies that diverged from the national stance advocated by L贸pez Obrador.
Sheinbaum comes from an older, more solidly leftist tradition that predates L贸pez Obrador바카라檚 populist movement. Her parents were prominent activists in Mexico바카라檚 1968 student movement, which ended tragically in a government-led massacre of hundreds of student protesters just before the Summer Olympics opened in Mexico City that year. Sheinbaum is also Mexico바카라檚 first president of Jewish heritage in a predominantly Catholic country.
Sheinbaum secured a decisive victory in the June election, winning nearly 60% of the vote바카라攄ouble that of her closest rival, X贸chitl G谩lvez. As L贸pez Obrador바카라檚 chosen successor, she benefited from his enduring popularity, which bolstered support for her campaign. The opposition coalition led by G谩lvez struggled to gain momentum, while voters also carried their support to Congress, where Morena and its allies gained significant influence to pass key constitutional reforms before L贸pez Obrador바카라檚 term ended.
Sheinbaum has firmly supported L贸pez Obrador바카라檚 policies, including a controversial constitutional overhaul of Mexico바카라檚 judiciary, which will require judges to stand for election. Defending the reform, Sheinbaum stated that it would enhance the rule of law and democracy without negatively impacting investments. She also backed L贸pez Obrador바카라檚 proposal to place the National Guard under military command, assuring critics that it would not lead to militarization and that human rights would be respected.
In the days leading up to her inauguration, Sheinbaum stood with L贸pez Obrador in his diplomatic dispute with Spain. She defended the decision to not invite Spain바카라檚 King Felipe VI to her inauguration, citing the king바카라檚 failure to apologize for Spain바카라檚 conquest of Mexico, a long-standing demand from L贸pez Obrador.
Sheinbaum바카라檚 victory comes 70 years after women won the right to vote in Mexico. The presidential race came down to two women바카라擲heinbaum and G谩lvez바카라攂ut both had to contend with the lingering effects of Mexico바카라檚 deeply rooted machismo. Despite gender quotas that have resulted in a 50-50 split in Congress since 2018, Sheinbaum faces significant challenges as she takes office in a country grappling with rising violence against women.
Many rural and Indigenous regions still see men holding most of the power, and around 2.5 million women work in domestic roles, often facing low wages, abuse, long hours, and unstable working conditions. Although Mexico바카라檚 Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that laws prohibiting abortion are unconstitutional, further legal work is needed at the state level to ensure full implementation of these rights.
Feminist activists caution that simply electing a woman as president doesn바카라檛 guarantee a focus on women바카라檚 issues. Both Sheinbaum and L贸pez Obrador have faced criticism for their lack of empathy toward women protesting against gender violence.
(This story has been slightly reworked from an auto-generated PTI feed.)