Mexico’s Sheinbaum to take reins of nation facing huge challenges

As the first female president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum will take office on Tuesday and lead the violent nation in the heart of Latin America at a time when diplomatic, economic, and security concerns are becoming more pressing.

The 62-year-old former mayor of Mexico City and heavyweight member of the ruling party will be put to the test right away by cartel violence, conflicts with important friends abroad, and opposition to divisive judiciary reforms.

Trained as a chemist, Sheinbaum earned a resounding election victory in June by promising to carry out the left-wing reform program of departing leader and close supporter Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

How Sheinbaum gets along with the US, Mexico’s largest commercial partner and a vital ally in matters of security and immigration, will be greatly influenced by the outcome of the US election on November 5.

Sheinbaum and Kamala Harris “have a pretty good relationship because they’re very much alike,” according to Pamela Starr, a University of Southern California political science and international relations professor.

“They’re both women who will be the first female president of their countries. So they’re both interested in advancing women’s issues and women’s rights. They’re both very much on the same page when it comes to climate change. And they’re both very much progressives,” she said.

In part, because he doesn’t appreciate female leaders as much as he does male leaders, relations with Donald Trump would “be much more difficult, in part if he wins,” Starr added.

“He won’t see a kindred soul in her like he saw in Lopez Obrador,” she continued, adding that Sheinbaum is not a populist.

Experts predict that Trump’s promise to deport a sizable number of illegal immigrants would pose a serious obstacle to US-Mexico relations.

Under such circumstances, “passions on both sides of the border will become inflamed and the relationship could be put to a severe test,” according to Washington-based researcher Michael Shifter of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank.

Even before taking office, Sheinbaum has found herself engulfed in a diplomatic row with Spain, another key economic partner, after she refused to invite King Felipe VI to her inauguration, accusing him of failing to acknowledge harm caused by colonization.