MEXICO CITY: Claudia Sheinbaum will be sworn in Tuesday as Mexico’s first female president to lead the violence-plagued Latin American nation amid mounting security, economic and diplomatic challenges. The 62-year-old former mayor of Mexico City and ruling party heavyweight will face immediate tests of cartel violence, friction with key international allies and opposition to controversial judicial reforms. Sheinbaum, a scientist by training, won a landslide election in June on a promise to continue the leftist reform agenda of outgoing leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a close ally. Sheinbaum’s relationship with the United States, Mexico’s main trading partner and a key ally in areas including security and migration, will largely depend on who wins the Nov. 5 U.S. election. Sheinbaum could probably develop “a pretty good relationship with Kamala Harris because they’re very similar,” said Pamela Starr, a professor of political science and international relations at the University of Southern California. “They’re both women who are going to be the first female presidents of their countries. So they’re both interested in promoting women’s issues and women’s rights. They’re both on the same page when it comes to climate change.” They are both very progressive,” she said. Relations with Donald Trump, if he wins, “would be much more difficult, partly because he doesn’t have the same respect for female leaders as he does for male leaders,” Starr said. And because Sheinbaum is not a populist, “he will not see in her the kindred spirit that he saw in Lopez Obrador,” she added. Trump’s promise to deport significant numbers of undocumented people would pose a major challenge to Mexican-American relations, experts say. In that case, “passions on both sides of the border will flare up and the relationship could be put to a severe test,” said Michael Shifter, an expert at the Inter-American Dialogue think tank in Washington. Even before taking office, Sheinbaum found herself in a diplomatic row with Spain, another key economic partner, after she refused to invite King Felipe VI. at his inauguration and accused him of failing to recognize the damage caused by colonization. While Sheinbaum’s presidency is unlikely to represent a radical change of direction for the world’s most populous Spanish-speaking country of 129 million people, he is expected to bring his own leadership style, experts said. “She is more pragmatic and less ideological than Lopez Obrador,” Starr told AFP. Lopez Obrador is leaving office due to the country’s one-term limit and enjoys a popularity rating of around 70 percent. He hands Sheinbaum the reins of a nation where murders and kidnappings occur daily, and where ultra-violent cartels involved in drug trafficking, people-smuggling and other crimes control vast territories. In the northwestern state of Sinaloa, fighting between cartels has left dozens dead in recent weeks. Gender-based violence is another major problem, with around 10 women or girls murdered across the country every day. “Sheinbaum’s main challenge will be dealing with the deteriorating security situation in Mexico,” Shifter said. “Lopez Obrador has relied mostly on rhetoric to address rampant cartel activity, but Sheinbaum is likely to be data-driven and technocratic in her approach to this vexing problem, and will seek to improve police effectiveness,” he added. Lopez Obrador has prioritized tackling the root causes of crime, such as poverty and inequality – a policy he calls “hugs, not bullets”. In his final weeks in office, the self-proclaimed anti-corruption campaigner pushed through controversial reforms, including electing all judges by popular vote. Critics warned that the changes would make it easier for politicians and organized crime to influence the courts. The reforms upset foreign investors as well as key trading partners the United States and Canada. Once in office, Sheinbaum will likely look for ways to ease concerns, Shifter said. “She seems to be pragmatic and understands that Mexico cannot afford to antagonize governments and alienate investors,” he added.
