MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Mexico has a new president. Claudia Sheinbaum took the oath of office today and became modern Mexico's first ever female head of state. She assumes power with strong popular support and majority power in the Congress. But the former environmental scientist will also have a lot of challenges, including with Mexico's largest trading partner - that would be the United States. NPR's Carrie Khan reports.
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UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting) Presidenta. Presidenta. Presidenta.
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: In the packed congressional chamber, lawmakers, invited foreign dignitaries and supporters shouted presidenta as Claudia Sheinbaum took the oath of office.
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PRESIDENT CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM: (Speaking Spanish).
KAHN: "I'm a mother, grandmother, scientist and a woman of faith..."
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SHEINBAUM: (Speaking Spanish).
(APPLAUSE)
KAHN: "...And now the President of Mexico," she said to thunderous applause.
With outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, her political mentor, seated on the dais, Sheinbaum exalted his term in office as one of the most transformative in recent Mexico. Sticking close to her successful campaign stump speech, she said continuity is key.
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SHEINBAUM: (Speaking Spanish).
KAHN: "I will not let you down," she said, repeating several of Lopez Obrador's trademark slogans, including putting Mexico's poor first.
She pledged to keep doling out cash transfers to Mexico's most needy, maintaining an active state role in the economy and continuing the outgoing administration's reliance on the military to combat Mexico's organized crime gangs and violence.
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KAHN: Outside, in Mexico's historic downtown, supporters celebrated with bands and signs of admiration for Sheinbaum.
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KAHN: On a busy intersection, Luis Miguel Bazaldua took a break from washing windows of a downtown skyscraper. He says he voted for Sheinbaum and wishes her well, but had a laundry list of doubts and concerns, including corruption and crime that have long dominated in Mexico. He also said he hopes men will treat the new presidenta well.
LUIS MIGUEL BAZALDUA: (Speaking Spanish).
KAHN: "She is a woman with many capabilities and well educated," and he's hopeful she makes even more changes to the country.
Sheinbaum takes power during a difficult time in Mexico. The economy is slowing. Cartel violence is high, and relations with the U.S. are shaky. In the run-up to elections north of the border, both Republicans and Democrats have been attacking Mexico, says political analyst Carlos Bravo. That leaves Sheinbaum, who has no international experience, with few key U.S. partners, he says.
CARLOS BRAVO: And she's going to be, you know, swamped in a lot of domestic troubles. How is she going to deal with all this heat coming from the United States?
KAHN: But for today, many were focused on the historic moment of Mexico's first woman president.
CLAUDIA GABRIEL PEREZ: (Speaking Spanish).
KAHN: Like Claudia Gabriel Perez, who sells instant coffee and sweetbread conchas on a downtown street corner. The 25-year-old mother of two says her future looks brighter with the government's continuing cash grants and a woman at the helm.
PEREZ: (Speaking Spanish).
KAHN: "This motivates us towards a better future," she says. "We are progressing."
Carrie Khan, NPR News, Mexico City.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARMANDO MANZANERO SONG, "ESPERARE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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