By AFP
September 28, 2024
Mexican president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum celebrates after her election victory - Copyright AFP Gerardo Luna
Daniel Rook
Claudia Sheinbaum will be sworn in on Tuesday as Mexico’s first woman president, taking charge of the violence-plagued Latin American nation at a time of mounting security, economic and diplomatic challenges.
The 62-year-old former Mexico City mayor and ruling party heavyweight will face immediate tests from cartel violence, frictions with key international allies and a backlash against controversial judicial reforms.
A scientist by training, Sheinbaum won a landslide election victory in June with a pledge to continue the left-wing reform agenda of outgoing leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a close ally.
Sheinbaum’s relations with the United States, Mexico’s main trading partner and a key ally in areas including security and migration, will depend to a large extent on who wins the US election on November 5.
Sheinbaum could probably develop “a quite good relationship with Kamala Harris because they’re very much alike,” said Pamela Starr, a professor of political science and international relations at the University of Southern California.
“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.
Relations with Donald Trump, if he wins, would “be much more difficult, in part because he doesn’t have as much respect for female leaders as he does for male leaders,” Starr said.
And because Sheinbaum is not a populist, “he won’t see a kindred soul in her like he saw in Lopez Obrador,” she added.
Trump’s vow to deport significant numbers of undocumented people would present a major challenge for Mexican-US relations, according to experts.
In that case, “passions on both sides of the border will become inflamed 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 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.
-‘ More pragmatic’ –
While Sheinbaum’s presidency is unlikely to usher in a radical change of direction for the world’s most populous Spanish-speaking country, home to 129 million people, she is expected to bring her own style of leadership, experts said.
“She’s more pragmatic and less ideological than Lopez Obrador,” Starr told AFP.
Lopez Obrador leaves office due to the country’s single-term limit, enjoying an approval rating of around 70 percent.
He hands Sheinbaum the reins of a nation where murders and kidnappings occur daily and ultra-violent cartels involved in drug trafficking, people smuggling and other crimes control vast swaths of territory.
In the northwestern state of Sinaloa, cartel infighting has left dozens of people dead in recent weeks.
Gender-based violence is another major issue with around 10 women or girls murdered every day across the country.
“Sheinbaum’s chief challenge will be tackling Mexico’s deteriorating security situation,” said Shifter.
“Lopez Obrador mainly relied on rhetoric to address spreading cartel activity, but Sheinbaum will likely be data-driven and technocratic in her approach to this vexing problem and will try to improve the effectiveness of the police,” he added.
Lopez Obrador prioritized addressing the root causes of crime such as poverty and inequality — a policy that he calls “hugs, not bullets.”
In his final weeks in office, the self-proclaimed anti-corruption fighter pushed through controversial reforms including the election of all judges by popular vote.
Critics warned the changes would make it easier for politicians and organized crime to influence the courts.
The reforms upset foreign investors as well as key trade partners the United States and Canada.
Once in office, Sheinbaum is likely to seek ways to allay the concerns, Shifter said.
“By all accounts she is pragmatic and understands that Mexico cannot afford to antagonize both governments and alienate investors,” he added.
World
In Acapulco and across Mexico, violence poses huge test for new president
ByAFP
PublishedSeptember 28, 2024
A member of the National Guard at the police headquarters in Acapulco
- Copyright AFP ANWAR AMRO
Samir TOUNSI
Gunfire, murders and threats — insecurity is part of everyday life across much of Mexico and one of the main challenges awaiting Claudia Sheinbaum when she becomes president on Tuesday.
A shooting this month in the Pacific resort city of Acapulco left two people wounded in a seafront bar. In late August, a human head was thrown in front of the establishment.
When contacted about the incident, a bar manager cut the questioner short.
Locals speculated that he had refused to pay “rent” to one of two local gangs.
Farther back from the seafront, the El Progreso neighborhood is one of those most affected by violence in Acapulco.
A man was killed in a cobbler’s shop a few days ago, a resident said. “It’s a daily occurrence,” he added with a sigh.
“Six murders in Acapulco” was the headline in the newspaper El Sur on September 10.
“That’s a total of 26 crimes this month, presumably linked to organized crime,” the local newspaper said, without naming the two rival gangs involved in extortion and drugs.
Acapulco, once a playground for the rich and famous, has lost its luster over the last decade as foreign tourists have been spooked by bloodshed that has made it one of the world’s most violent cities.
The insecurity is hardly unique to the city in the southern state of Guerrero.
Spiraling criminal violence, much of it linked to drug trafficking and gangs, has seen more than 450,000 people murdered in the Latin American nation since 2006.
But in the heart of El Progreso, the mood on a recent day was one of celebration at the municipal police headquarters.
Under a blazing sun, Mayor Abelina Lopez Rodriguez handed out new uniforms to officers.
Giving a speech, she made no mention of violence, preferring to talk about year-end bonuses instead.
“Acapulco is a paradise,” she told AFP.
“We must continue working to create better opportunities for our police officers and for society,” added Lopez Rodriguez, a lawyer by profession.
“Peace is built in hearts,” she added.
Corruption comes from another level of government, her entourage explained off-camera.
“Of course” municipal police can be infiltrated by gangs, the new head of public security, Eduardo Bailleres Mendoza, told AFP.
He wants officers to undergo random drug testing “to prevent staff from also being victims of the use of toxic substances” — and thus susceptible to the influence of organized crime.
A municipal police officer earns just 14,000 pesos ($710) per month, he said.
– Drones and bombs –
On the eve of the Independence Day holiday weekend in mid-September, hoteliers were optimistic.
Tourists will come, they said.
But when the area has been in the headlines recently, it has not been for good news.
In nearby Coyuca de Benitez, at the foot of the Sierra Madre mountain range, a candidate was murdered on the eve of June 2 municipal elections.
Some 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of Acapulco, the inhabitants of Santa Rosa de Lima said they are living under pressure from local cartel La Familia Michoacana.
The gang has been using drones against communities that resist extortion.
“On April 21, they lobbed bombs, more than 20. Several hectares of forest were burned,” said Azucena Rosas Garcia, leader of the mountain community of San Antonio Texas.
She showed images that she said were recovered from the memory card of a downed drone. An investigation was opened months later.
Suddenly, as she spoke, armed men drove by in a red pickup truck.
They were self-defense militias, explained Victor Espino, a local community leader who said that he himself was arrested by the police in possession of a weapon.
“When it suits them, the law exists. When it doesn’t suit them, they don’t apply it,” the avocado farmer said.
“They don’t defend us, nor let us defend ourselves,” he added.
Nearly 200,000 people have been murdered in six years under outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who prioritized tackling the root causes of crime — a strategy he calls “hugs, not bullets.”
President-elect Sheinbaum, who comes from the same left-wing party, has pledged to continue that approach while improving coordination between security forces and state prosecutors.
In the northwestern state of Sinaloa, cartel infighting has left dozens of people dead in recent weeks, underscoring the magnitude of the task facing Sheinbaum.
Samir TOUNSI
Gunfire, murders and threats — insecurity is part of everyday life across much of Mexico and one of the main challenges awaiting Claudia Sheinbaum when she becomes president on Tuesday.
A shooting this month in the Pacific resort city of Acapulco left two people wounded in a seafront bar. In late August, a human head was thrown in front of the establishment.
When contacted about the incident, a bar manager cut the questioner short.
Locals speculated that he had refused to pay “rent” to one of two local gangs.
Farther back from the seafront, the El Progreso neighborhood is one of those most affected by violence in Acapulco.
A man was killed in a cobbler’s shop a few days ago, a resident said. “It’s a daily occurrence,” he added with a sigh.
“Six murders in Acapulco” was the headline in the newspaper El Sur on September 10.
“That’s a total of 26 crimes this month, presumably linked to organized crime,” the local newspaper said, without naming the two rival gangs involved in extortion and drugs.
Acapulco, once a playground for the rich and famous, has lost its luster over the last decade as foreign tourists have been spooked by bloodshed that has made it one of the world’s most violent cities.
The insecurity is hardly unique to the city in the southern state of Guerrero.
Spiraling criminal violence, much of it linked to drug trafficking and gangs, has seen more than 450,000 people murdered in the Latin American nation since 2006.
But in the heart of El Progreso, the mood on a recent day was one of celebration at the municipal police headquarters.
Under a blazing sun, Mayor Abelina Lopez Rodriguez handed out new uniforms to officers.
Giving a speech, she made no mention of violence, preferring to talk about year-end bonuses instead.
“Acapulco is a paradise,” she told AFP.
“We must continue working to create better opportunities for our police officers and for society,” added Lopez Rodriguez, a lawyer by profession.
“Peace is built in hearts,” she added.
Corruption comes from another level of government, her entourage explained off-camera.
“Of course” municipal police can be infiltrated by gangs, the new head of public security, Eduardo Bailleres Mendoza, told AFP.
He wants officers to undergo random drug testing “to prevent staff from also being victims of the use of toxic substances” — and thus susceptible to the influence of organized crime.
A municipal police officer earns just 14,000 pesos ($710) per month, he said.
– Drones and bombs –
On the eve of the Independence Day holiday weekend in mid-September, hoteliers were optimistic.
Tourists will come, they said.
But when the area has been in the headlines recently, it has not been for good news.
In nearby Coyuca de Benitez, at the foot of the Sierra Madre mountain range, a candidate was murdered on the eve of June 2 municipal elections.
Some 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of Acapulco, the inhabitants of Santa Rosa de Lima said they are living under pressure from local cartel La Familia Michoacana.
The gang has been using drones against communities that resist extortion.
“On April 21, they lobbed bombs, more than 20. Several hectares of forest were burned,” said Azucena Rosas Garcia, leader of the mountain community of San Antonio Texas.
She showed images that she said were recovered from the memory card of a downed drone. An investigation was opened months later.
Suddenly, as she spoke, armed men drove by in a red pickup truck.
They were self-defense militias, explained Victor Espino, a local community leader who said that he himself was arrested by the police in possession of a weapon.
“When it suits them, the law exists. When it doesn’t suit them, they don’t apply it,” the avocado farmer said.
“They don’t defend us, nor let us defend ourselves,” he added.
Nearly 200,000 people have been murdered in six years under outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who prioritized tackling the root causes of crime — a strategy he calls “hugs, not bullets.”
President-elect Sheinbaum, who comes from the same left-wing party, has pledged to continue that approach while improving coordination between security forces and state prosecutors.
In the northwestern state of Sinaloa, cartel infighting has left dozens of people dead in recent weeks, underscoring the magnitude of the task facing Sheinbaum.
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