Claudia Sheinbaum was sworn in today and officially became Mexico's first female president, promising to increase women's rights and to ensure that the second largest economy in Latin America will remain a safe destination for international investment, reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
Sixty-two-year-old Sheinbaum, who graduated in physics and was the mayor of the capital of Mexico, was sworn in at a solemn ceremony in front of deputies and senators in the building of Congress, which marked the beginning of her six-year term.
"It is time for changes, it is the time of women", she declared excitedly and added: "I am a mother, a grandmother, a person of science and a woman of faith, and from today, by the will of the Mexican people, I am president" .
"This achievement is not just mine, it belongs to all of us,", Sheinbaum emphasized, paying tribute to the women of Mexico.
In June, she won the presidential election with nearly 60% of the vote under the banner of the left-wing ruling Movement for National Revival (MORENA) and its allies, France Press recalls.
Elected with nearly 36 million votes, she is the president who received the most support in the history of the country, thanks also to the popularity of her predecessor.
MORENA and her allies have a comfortable qualified majority in parliament, which allows them to change the constitution without opposition, notes AFP.
Sheinbaum, who as of today is the head of state of the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, with a population of 129 million people, laid out her program of ten principles, which is based on the achievements of the previous president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. She also outlined her approach to violence: analyzing the causes of violence, more intelligence and investigations, strengthening the National Guard, more coordination between authorities, zero impunity.
"Our government will guarantee all freedoms", she assured and added: "Those who claim there will be authoritarianism are lying".
"You can be sure that the investments of national and foreign shareholders will be safe in our country,", the president stressed.
Sheinbaum takes office in the midst of a controversy sparked by the judicial reform approved and promulgated by her predecessor. It is almost unique in the world and foresees that from June next year judges in Mexico will be elected by popular vote.
After the speech to Congress, the new president was scheduled to give lunch to guests of the event at the National Palace, where the presidency is housed. Among them are the first lady of the United States, Jill Biden, and the president of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
On this non-working day in the country, people also celebrated in the streets. Hundreds watched the inauguration ceremony from the central square "Zokalo". "This is a historic event," said 77-year-old Maria Diaz Lopez, elated by the inauguration of the first female president.