Claudia Sheinbaum sworn in as Mexico’s new president

By Eduardo García and Alfredo Corchado

MEXICO CITY – Claudia Sheinbaum was sworn in as Mexico’s first female president Tuesday in a ceremony where underscored the history moment, but promised to hew closely to her predecessor’s program.

"It is a time of transformation and it is time for women," a grinning Sheinbaum, 62, said as to cheers and applause, especially from female lawmakers.

After listing the names of many women who came before her and helped remove the barriers women have faced in Mexico across all walks of life, Sheinbaum acknowledged the hardships they have faced and reinforced her commitment to continuing the journey.

Sheinbaum made it clear that she plans to maintain the state-oriented policies of outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, 70, which she considers hugely successful.

“How is it that 9.5 million people were lifted out of poverty? How is it that inequalities were reduced?” she asked a packed Congress and visiting presidents and other dignitaries from 105 counties. "How is it that we have lower unemployment and a stable currency?"

She answered that it was Lopez Obrador’s “peaceful revolution,” which has sought to reverse a market-friendly policies and favor Mexico’s poor and marginalized. Reviled by many middle and upper class Mexicans, Lopez Obrador remains beloved among the poor. He leaves office with a nearly 70 percent approval in opinion polls.

Sheinbaum’s promise of "more of the same" comes as little surprise. She won office in June with nearly 60% of the vote on a platform of continuity. Her left-leaning Morena party now controls both houses of Congress and most state governments.

That political grip allowed the government to win controversial reforms last month, including changes that mandate the population election of judges at all levels within a few years.

Sheinbaum takes office facing a number of headwinds, with the economy slowing and criminal organizations holding effective control of a third of the country or more. Many fear her six-year term could bring the return to the sort of more authoritarian, one-party rule that dominated the country in the last century.

Some foreign and Mexican investors worry particularly about the judicial reform, which they fear gives greater control of Mexico’s independent judicial system to the executive and Congress, now dominated by Morena.

Anyone who says there will be authoritarianism is lying,” Sheinbaum said to applause from her political supporters.

Many fear that could affect Mexico’s ability to attract a myriad of investment projects expected to relocate to the Americas from China amid greater tensions with the United States.

Sheinbaum on Tuesday rejected such fears, pledging pledged to stay the course. She emphasized her intention to expand the social programs instituted under Lopez Obrador.

"For the good fortune of Mexico, we will continue with Mexican Humanism and the Fourth Transformation," Sheinbaum said, referring to the name given López Obrador’s political agenda. She said the market oriented government policies that began in the mid-1980s had failed to Mexicans people out of poverty and were plagued with corruption.

Sheinbaum’s rise to the presidency has generated high expectations among those who believe she will bring a much-needed woman’s perspective and touch to Mexico’s long male-dominated p olitics and society.

The watershed was felt on both sides of the border..

In El Paso, Rosa Guerrero, 90, an artist, educator, dance historian, said the day is steep in historic significance “especially for those who have roots in Mexico. I

“I’m very, very proud and lucky to witness the moment,” Guerrero said.”I think women are the miracles of humanity. They hold the reigns of la familia. I pray for (Claudia) to lead and heal the country, a beautiful country.”

Some Mexican men also expressed pride in seeing a woman take the oath of office.

“This shows that while we may still be a macho society, we’re also a pragmatic nation,” said street vendor Hector Mondragón, 49, who was selling trinkets this week in downtown Mexico City. “We trust Claudia with presidential power because we believe she will do good things for our country.”

For her part, Sheinbaum reveled in the class ceiling she’s helping to shatter.

“I am a mother, grandmother, scientist, a woman of faith,” Sheinbaum said in her speech, “and from to today forward, by the will of the Mexican people, the Constitutional president of the United Mexican States.”

Puente News Collaborative is a bilingual nonprofit newsroom, convener and funder dedicated to high quality, fact-based news and information from the U.S.-Mexico border.

Story edited by Dudley Althaus

Eduardo García established Bloomberg’s Mexico bureau in 1992 and served as its leader until 2001, overseeing the agency’s award-winning coverage in the country. In 2001, he embarked on a new venture by founding his own news organization, Sentido Común. For nearly 18 years, he guided Sentido Común to become one of Mexico's most esteemed financial websites. Later, he merged his company with the local financial news agency Infosel, assuming roles as editor-in-chief and subsequently Chief Content Officer. @egarciascmx Alfredo Corchado is the executive editor for Puente News Collaborative and the former Mexico/Border Correspondent for The Dallas Morning News. He’s the author of “Midnight in Mexico” and “Homelands.” @ajcorchado