Mexico: Claudia Sheinbaum is First Female President
The 62-year-old scientist and former mayor of Mexico City took office October 1 after winning the June 2 election
“I am a mother, a grandmother, a scholar, a woman of faith, and as of today, by the will of the Mexican people, the president. I don’t come alone, I come with all the other women.” These are the first words as Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum officially takes office on October 1 after winning the election on June 2, 2024.
Sheinbaum, 62, is the first female president in the country’s history and takes the place of her party (Morena, center-left) partner Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who left office after 6 years in an ever-growing popularity.
A former climate scientist and mayor of Mexico City, Sheinbaum now stands at the helm of the largest Spanish-speaking country bordering the United States, being its largest trading partner.
The country of nearly 130 million people faces serious challenges, from the highest budget deficit in decades to chronic security problems linked to the excessive power of drug trafficking gangs. Sheinbaum will have to ensure continuity between Obrador and a party that has amassed more and more power over the years and is rebuilding, amid much controversy, the judicial system of the country.
