Claudia Sheinbaum Promises to Govern for All. Here Are the Challenges She'll Face
Claudia Sheinbaum Promises to Govern for All. Here Are the Challenges She'll Face
The "biggest story of last night" was Morena party's win in both of Mexico's houses of Congress, says AS/COA's Carin Zissis to CNN.
Claudia Sheinbaum won a landslide victory to become the first female president of Mexico and first Jewish person in the role, adding to the growing list of accolades to the climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City.
But when she formally takes office in October, how will she tackle the biggest challenges facing the country as concerns about its security and the future of its democracy loom large?
Complicating her administration’s debut, Sheinbaum will also have to contend with the shadow of her polarizing mentor, the outgoing President Andres Manuel López Obrador, from the same Morena party.
Sunday’s vote was widely seen as a referendum on López Obrador’s term. And while his popular social welfare policies have helped push many Mexicans above the poverty line, experts say his security measures have done little to address the expanding reach of organized crime in the country. [...]
While Sheinbaum’s victory was widely expected this weekend, the “biggest story of last night” was that the Morena party looked set to gain supermajorities in both houses of Congress, said Carin Zissis, a Mexico expert, and editor-in-chief of the Americas Society/Council’s website.
On Monday morning, the Mexican peso slipped roughly 3% against the US dollar amid rising concern that the ruling party will have a clear path to pass controversial constitutional reforms sought by López Obrador.
The reforms include a range of issues in areas like pensions and the energy sector, but they also include controversial judicial and institutional reforms, which critics say would weaken the separation of powers and see the disappearance of some independent regulatory agencies.
“We have to see what happens when she comes into office: There has been a history of Mexican presidents breaking the path of their predecessors, even when their predecessors more or less selected them,” Zissis said, adding: “Though, [Sheinbaum] has pledged throughout her campaign to continue his legacy.
López Obrador has pushed back on suggestions that he would be giving Sheinbaum cues, saying on Monday that he would not “influence” his protégé. Sheinbaum is now “the one empowered to make all the decisions,” he said....
