“It’s time for transformation, and it’s time for women.” On Tuesday, Claudia Sheinbaum addressed her country as the first female president of Mexico. A former mayor of Mexico City with a background in environmental engineering, she succeeds her political mentor and founder of her Morena Party, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, also known as AMLO. Having run largely on continuity with her predecessor, she now inherits the economic and security challenges he contended with as president, as well as the fallout from a massive overhaul to the judicial system that became law in September.
How will Sheinbaum, who won the presidency in a landslide and enjoys large legislative majorities, confront Mexico’s challenges? And how will her approach to governing affect the US-Mexico bilateral relationship? Our experts offer their insights below.
Click to jump to an expert analysis:
Jason Marczak: Sheinbaum’s methodological style was honed as head of Mexico City
María Fernanda Bozmoski: The new president has a chance to redefine Mexico’s role in Central America
Reed Blakemore: Pragmatism, not climate credentials, should define Sheinbaum’s approach to energy
Charlene Aguilera: Sheinbaum should focus on ending violence against women and girls in Mexico
Sheinbaum’s methodological style was honed as head of Mexico City
In her inaugural address, the new Mexican president, who among other things is a climate scientist, laid out a message ranging from the prioritization of energy efficiency and renewables to the importance of investment security and nationwide unity. Sheinbaum, like AMLO six years earlier, will be initially focused as president on how she implements policies put in motion by her predecessor. For AMLO, it was the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), signed by his predecessor the day before he took office, that would then fall to his administration to first tweak and then implement. For Sheinbaum, it’s the new judicial reforms—a longstanding priority for AMLO that was passed in the final weeks of his presidency—and how she navigates their implementation. In her inaugural speech, she promised the reforms would bring “greater autonomy and independence,” but also referenced those who remain skeptical by noting that all will agree it was the best decision over time.
Mexico’s new president will be closely watched as one of the most powerful women in the world. Not only will she oversee the world’s fifteenth largest economy (and the second largest global economy led by a female head of state) but her coalition of Morena and its allies hold a supermajority in the Chamber of Deputies and a near supermajority in the Senate. This gives her sweeping powers to advance legislative policy—something that AMLO was not able to count on for most of his term.
Although she may not continue with all of AMLO’s traditions, with likely shorter daily mañaneras, or briefings to the press, a new expectation has been created that the president will spend significant time traveling across the country and minimal time abroad. She will be her own president but will also have the backing of her predecessor, who’s unlikely to retire quietly. Balancing multiple political interests will be essential for tackling some of Mexico’s larger challenges, from security to an expected slowdown in economic growth.
The expectation is that Sheinbaum will bring pragmatism and practicality to the presidency, as she did as head of government for Mexico City, where she’s known for reducing crime and implementing new, green policies. Her methodical approach to governing was evident the first time I went to visit her office and was presented with a two-hundred-plus page book listing her policy priorities for Mexico City.
Sheinbaum’s closely watched inauguration comes at a turning point for Mexico and just a month from when Americans will choose her US counterpart to work through the many complex bilateral issues.
—Jason Marczak is the vice president and senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center.
The new president has a chance to redefine Mexico’s role in Central America
Two things to look out for as Sheinbaum takes office as Mexico’s first female president: While she will likely focus on pressing domestic issues, such as rising violence and insecurity, her administration could also transform Mexico’s role in Central America, and along with it, regional patterns and dynamics on economics and migration. Her background as an environmental engineer suggests that she may prioritize environmental sustainability alongside social justice. This shift could lead to collaborative regional partnerships to combat climate change, which is a borderless issue. By partnering with neighboring countries on initiatives ranging from sustainable agriculture to renewable energy, Sheinbaum can address shared climate-induced challenges, such as flooding, droughts, and increasing water scarcity.
Additionally, Sheinbaum could accelerate regional economic integration by advocating for mechanisms that allow Central American countries to join the USMCA. This inclusion would create jobs across the region but also address root causes of migration by improving local economies. Such a move recognizes that Central American economies, while individually small, can achieve significant impact through collective action and economies of scale.
On migration, Sheinbaum has the potential to adopt a more humanitarian and proactive stance than previous Mexican administrations have done thus far. By enhancing protections for migrants and investing in social and youth programs in Central America, her administration could mitigate migration pressures more effectively than through enforcement alone. This aligns with her broader progressive values and could be positively received by the next US president.
Sheinbaum’s presidency offers a chance to redefine Mexico’s role in Central America through an approach that intertwines environmental sustainability, economic cooperation, and humane migration policies. She has a unique opportunity to build stronger ties with her southern neighbors, creating a more stable and prosperous region. Doing so would ultimately benefit the whole hemisphere.
—María Fernanda Bozmoski is deputy director of operations and finance at the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, where she leads the center’s work on Mexico and Central America.
Pragmatism, not climate credentials, should define Sheinbaum’s approach to energy
As the first ever president to be a former member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Sheinbaum brings climate credentials to the National Palace that are worth getting excited about. Nonetheless, her overarching energy priority will be meeting Mexico’s rapidly growing energy demand in order to mitigate the growing frequency of extreme heat waves (particularly in Mexico’s southern states) and realize the economic opportunity of increased interest in “nearshoring” from its largest trade partner, the United States.
Encouraging investment in the electricity sector is critical to making this happen, but the depth of Mexico’s commitment to its national champions has risked being counterproductive. AMLO strengthened the role of Mexico’s state-owned energy companies in domestic markets, and he reshaped the authorities of Mexico’s judiciary, regulatory, and oversight agencies in ways that have increased uncertainty for foreign investors. This has yet to yield a much-needed acceleration of grid development across the country and complicated the prospects for new private investment, which Mexico desperately needs.
As the new standard-bearer for AMLO’s Morena party, Sheinbaum’s task is to manage the aftermath of these reforms amid the high stakes of Mexico’s energy opportunity. A vision for more centralized energy planning and infrastructure development is workable, but ultimately will be contingent upon the capacity of state-owned companies, such as the Federal Electricity Commission and Pemex, to be effective, reliable, and creative stewards of that vision. A crucial first test will be whether Sheinbaum and those she has designated to lead these institutions can demonstrate that such capacity is growing and that interest in public-private partnerships remains a priority. Doing so will be key to improving investor sentiment and will enable Sheinbaum to leverage the pragmatism that she’s known for toward a much wider set of energy goals. These goals include improving cross-border energy flows, empowering Mexico’s nearshoring ambitions, and positioning Mexico City effectively as a partner for energy and economic security on the continent and beyond.
—Reed Blakemore is director of research and programs with the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center.
The new administration must address infrastructure needs for Mexico to stay economically competitive
Mexico’s infrastructure needs are vast and major investments are required for the country to successfully attract foreign direct investment and take advantage of nearshoring opportunities. The Bank of Mexico’s Regional Economies Report stresses that the construction of energy and transportation infrastructure projects will help trigger greater investment and contribute to an effective industrial policy.
Over the last six years, Mexico’s government has invested approximately 1 percent of gross domestic product in infrastructure, but to meet current needs, the country should be investing closer to 5 percent. Given that the incoming administration of Sheinbaum will face budgetary restrictions, it will be important to rethink how infrastructure investments are financed and executed.
The idea of the private and public sectors joining forces to build or improve infrastructure is clearly the way to go. Fortunately, under the concept of Strategic Mexican Companies, the Sheinbaum team has opened the door to this possibility; we can expect Altagracia Gómez Sierra, the head of the newly created Business Council, to provide more details in the coming months.
The benefits of government and business working together are not only financial. It also allows for risk-sharing, enables building infrastructure at scale, and paves the way for social and environmental sustainability. Ambitious infrastructure development in Mexico will improve the country’s competitiveness and that of the North American region.
—Bosco Martí is a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center and is the global director of institutional affairs and communications for Aleatica, a transportation infrastructure operator with presence in Spain, Italy, and key markets in Latin America.
Sheinbaum should focus on ending violence against women and girls in Mexico
“A young Mexican woman will be the emblem of the Mexican Government,” Sheinbaum announced on Tuesday. Already, the first female president of Mexico is bringing a new sense of hope to women and girls in her country. But for this hope to continue and grow, Sheinbaum will need new policies to bolster the country’s fight against femicides and violence against women and girls.
Una joven mexicana será el emblema del Gobierno de México. Aquí les comparto la imagen. pic.twitter.com/KTph2sWkG3
— Dra. Claudia Sheinbaum (@Claudiashein) October 1, 2024
With at least ten women losing their lives daily to gender-based violence on average, the Sheinbaum administration must address this crisis head on, especially as the country undergoes extensive judicial reforms. The incoming government has the potential to be a leader in protecting women’s rights and ensuring that delivering justice for victims of femicides becomes a top priority for Mexico’s leadership.
The judicial reforms, which seek to modernize and upgrade Mexico’s justice system, hold great potential for improving how gender-based violence is addressed. By reducing corruption and increasing efficiency, these changes could help deliver swifter and more decisive actions in femicide cases, which are often forgotten. Sheinbaum’s government can leverage these reforms to enhance accountability and strengthen institutions tasked with protecting women, ensuring that justice is accessible and effective, particularly in rural areas, where violence often goes unreported.
With her strong background as a committed public servant and as the former mayor of Mexico City, Sheinbaum is well-positioned to turn this moment of reform into meaningful progress. Ongoing collaboration between federal, state, and local governments will be key to implementing strategies that protect women, especially in underserved regions. Her presidency marks a significant opportunity to push forward a vision of Mexico where women are safe and justice is served. Through her leadership, Sheinbaum has the potential to make lasting changes that will leave a positive legacy in the fight against femicides and the broader protection of the rights of women and girls.
—Charlene Aguilera is a program assistant at the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, where she contributes to the center’s Caribbean and Mexico work.
Further reading
Wed, Sep 11, 2024
North America’s moment: The case for energy cooperation
Issue Brief By Reed Blakemore, Chase Thalheimer, Elina Carpen
Cultivating a United States, Canada, and Mexico energy strategy will bolster the competitiveness and security of North America in an increasingly multipolar market.
Wed, Sep 11, 2024
Mexico’s new judicial reforms could put the USMCA on shaky ground
New Atlanticist By Jason Marczak, María Fernanda Bozmoski
Mexico’s Senate just voted on a major judicial reform package, but the outcome could cast a shadow over the upcoming review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Tue, Jun 4, 2024
Three ways Mexico’s new president could transform Central America
New Atlanticist By María Fernanda Bozmoski
The first female president of Mexico has the opportunity to redefine her country’s role in Central America, address the root causes of migration, and promote a more stable and prosperous region.
Image: Mexico's new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, is assisted while putting on the sash during her swearing-in ceremony at Congress, in Mexico City, Mexico, October 1, 2024. REUTERS/Raquel Cunha.