Mexico’s New Government
Mexico’s first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum, will be sworn in on October 1, 2024. She is expected to continue the policies of outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Sheinbaum will serve through 2030, as Mexico’s president serves one six-year term.
A Background in Science and Government Service
Sheinbaum has a background as a scientist, teacher, and in local government, She has a Ph.D. in engineering. For the first part of her career, Sheinbaum was a university professor in Mexico. During that time, she was politically active but did not serve in government. In 2000 López Obrador, then mayor of Mexico City, appointed her as the city’s environmental minister which launched her political career. In 2006 López Obrador ran for president and lost, so Sheinbaum returned to teaching at the university. She also was part of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change team that shared a Nobel Peace Prize with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore in 2007.
In 2015 Sheinbaum was elected mayor of the Tlalpan district of Mexico City. Then in 2018 she was elected as mayor of Mexico City becoming the first woman to hold that position.
Supporting Existing Policies
President-elect Sheinbaum has promised to continue the popular social programs of the current administration, including benefits for seniors and low-income residents. She won the election in a landslide, receiving almost 60 percent of the vote. That is about twice that of her nearest competitor, Xóchitl Gálvez.
Sheinbaum also plans to continue the “hugs, not bullets” policy of dealing with the Mexican drug cartels. This approach emphasizes improving socioeconomic conditions by creating jobs and eliminating poverty, so citizens do not turn to drug cartels for work. President-elect Sheinbaum shares López Obrador’s less combative approach with cartels. She wishes to use cooperation to increase regional security and bring down the homicide rate.
Historic Inauguration
At the inauguration ceremony on October 1, president-elect Sheinbaum will take the oath of office promising to uphold the Mexican Constitution. The presidential sash will be passed from the current president to the newly elected president.
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will lead the U.S. delegation to the swearing in ceremony in Mexico City, Mexico.