AFP reported on October 1 that Ms. Sheinbaum, 62, was inaugurated to cheers from the public attending the ceremony at Zocalo Square in the capital Mexico City. The event was also attended by foreign dignitaries, including US First Lady Jill Biden.
“For the first time, women are shaping the destiny of our beautiful country,” said Sheinbaum. Since independence, Mexico has had 65 presidents, all of them men.
Claudia Sheinbaum during her inauguration as Mexican president on October 1.
Sheinbaum won a landslide victory in June, pledging to continue the leftist reform agenda of her predecessor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Lopez Obrador’s tenure has included policies that help Mexico’s poor , which have helped him maintain an approval rating of around 70%. However, he cannot run for re-election because Mexico limits the presidency to a single six-year term. Sheinbaum’s challenge is to deal with rising crime, much of it related to drug trafficking and gang violence, which has killed more than 450,000 people in Mexico since 2006. Sheinbaum also faces controversy over a recently passed judicial reform that would elect all judges by popular vote. Critics say the change makes it easier for politicians and organized crime to influence the courts and scares international investors. Sheinbaum said the investments would be safe and she was committed to responsible fiscal policy. US President Joe Biden congratulated Sheinbaum, noting the “deep political, economic and cultural ties” between the US and Mexico. The UN human rights office said Sheinbaum’s presidency “sends a powerful message” about the important role of women in public office.
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