Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo[a] (born 24 June 1962) is a Mexican politician, scientist, and academic who is currently the president-elect of Mexico, the first woman to be elected to the position.[3]
In June 2023, Sheinbaum resigned from her position as head of government to seek Morena's presidential nomination in the 2024 election. In September, she secured the party's nomination over her nearest rival, former foreign secretary Marcelo Ebrard.[6] In June 2024, she won the general election in a landslide. After she assumes office, she will be the first female president of Mexico, as well as the first president from a prominent Jewish background.[b][8][9]
Early life
Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo was born on 24 June 1962[10] to a secularJewish family in Mexico City.[11] Her paternal Ashkenazi grandparents emigrated from Lithuania to Mexico City in the 1920s. Her maternal Sephardic grandparents emigrated there from Sofia, Bulgaria, in the early 1940s to escape the Holocaust. She celebrated the major Jewish holidays at her grandparents' homes.[12][11]
Sheinbaum completed the work for her Ph.D. thesis between 1991 and 1994 at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. While working for the laboratory, she analyzed the use of energy in the Mexican transportation sector and published studies on the trends in Mexican building energy use.[17][18][19]
Sheinbaum served as the Secretary of the Environment of Mexico City from 5 December 2000, having been appointed on 20 November 2000 to the cabinet of the Head of Government of Mexico City, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.[26] During her term, which concluded in May 2006, she was responsible for the construction of an electronic vehicle-registration center for Mexico City.[21][27] She also oversaw the introduction of the Metrobús, a bus rapid transit system with dedicated lanes, and the construction of the second story of the Anillo Periférico, Mexico City's ring road.[14]
López Obrador included Sheinbaum in his proposed cabinet for the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources as part of his campaign for the 2012 presidential election.[28] In 2014, she joined López Obrador's splinter movement, which broke away from the mainstream left-wing party, the Party of the Democratic Revolution.[18] She served as Secretary of the Environment in 2015.[18]
On 29 April 2016, during Sheinbaum's tenure as mayor of Tlalpan, city staff were ordered to demolish a wall that had been built illegally adjacent to a chapel (Capilla del Señor de los Trabajos) in Tlalpan's Cultura Maya neighborhood.[31][32] The workers instructed to demolish the wall also destroyed part of the chapel's structure, including its sheet-metal roof, and removed religious images.[33] Juan Guillermo Blandón Pérez, the parish priest, alleged that Sheinbaum was responsible for the demolition of the chapel and claimed that it was carried out without prior notification.[34]
Days after the chapel's demolition, borough authorities acknowledged their error.[35] Sheinbaum met with representatives of the church and proposed dividing the property in half to build a new chapel and a community art center.[33]
Enrique Rébsamen School collapse
The Colegio Enrique Rébsamen, a private school in Tlalpan, collapsed during the 2017 Puebla earthquake, killing 19 children and seven adults. In September 2016, during Sheinbaum's term as mayor, the city's Institute for Administrative Verification had ruled that the school's building infringed zoning regulations and was built higher than was allowed and that the owner, Mónica García Villegas, had presented falsified documents.[36][37] Sheinbaum faced criticism for not providing a complete account of the permits for the school's land use, construction, and operation.[38] Enrique Fuentes, a lawyer representing the deceased children's parents, stated that the mayor had an obligation to take action but had failed to do so, allowing the school to continue operating.[36]
2018 campaign for the Head of Government of Mexico City
In August 2017, Sheinbaum participated in a poll by the National Regeneration Movement to determine the party's candidate for the Head of Government of Mexico City.[39] The other contenders were Martí Batres, Mario Delgado, and Ricardo Monreal. Sheinbaum secured first place with 15.9% of the vote, beating her closest opponent, Batres, by 5.8 points.[40][41] On 5 December 2017, Sheinbaum resigned as mayor of Tlalpan in order to register her precandidacy.[42]
At her campaign launch on 1 April 2018, Sheinbaum prioritized fighting crime, stating that she would hold regular public hearings, publish reported crime statistics, and rely on the Security Council for guidance. She committed to generating 1 million jobs during her term, maintaining the universal pension for seniors, and expanding the Mexico City Metrobús system to connect the city's outskirts with the center.[4][43]
During the campaign period, Sheinbaum was accused by members of Por México al Frente of being culpable for the collapse of the Colegio Enrique Rébsamen, a private school in Tlalpan, during the 2017 Puebla earthquake.[44]
On 1 July 2018, Sheinbaum was elected to a six-year term as the Head of Government of Mexico City with 47.08% of the vote, defeating six other candidates.[45]
Head of Government of Mexico City (2018–2023)
On 5 December 2018, Sheinbaum was inaugurated as Mexico City's head of government. She became the first female head of government and the first to come from a Jewish background.[9][11][18]
Crime and policing
Sheinbaum addressed security concerns through four key axes: addressing root causes, integrated with her education policy, which included initiatives like the Rosario Castellanos Institute of Higher Studies and the Pilares community centers; enhancing the quality and quantity of police forces; expanding intelligence and investigative capabilities; and improving coordination between the Attorney General's Office, mayors, and the Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection.[46]
In the first 52 months of Sheinbaum's term, Mexico City saw 5,078 homicides, a figure higher than those recorded under the administrations of López Obrador, Marcelo Ebrard, and Miguel Ángel Mancera.[47] Despite this, Sheinbaum successfully reduced the homicide rate from 17.9 per 100,000 people in 2018 to 8.6 in 2022.[48][49]
Education
As part of her administration's education policy, the Mi Beca para Empezar scholarship program was created for 1.2 million students from preschool to secondary education, later elevated to constitutional law in Mexico City.[50][51] The Rosario Castellanos Institute of Higher Studies and the University of Health were created.[52][53] In addition, community centers called pilares ("pillars") were established in marginalized neighborhoods and towns to promote arts, sports, education, and cultural activities.[54]
Environment
In June 2019, Sheinbaum announced a new six-year environmental plan. It includes reducing air pollution by 30%, planting 15 million trees, banning single-use plastics and promoting recycling, building a new waste separation plant, providing water service to every home, constructing 100 kilometers of corridors for the exclusive use of trolleybus lines and the Mexico City Metrobús system, and constructing and installing solar water heaters and solar panels.[55]
Public transport
In September 2019, Sheinbaum announced a 40 billion peso (US$2 billion) investment to modernize the Mexico City Metro over the next five years, including modernization, re-strengthening, new trains, improving stations, stairways, train control and automation, user information, and payment systems.[56] The construction of 200 kilometers of bicycle paths, six bicycle stations, 2,500 new bicycles for the Ecobici system, subsidies for public transportation, and the introduction of the Cablebús cable car system in the Iztapalapa borough have aimed to alleviate traffic congestion and improve transit.[57]
Social issues
In 2019, Sheinbaum implemented a gender-neutral uniform policy for students in state-run schools, allowing them to wear uniforms of their choice regardless of gender.[58] In 2021, Sheinbaum removed a statue of Christopher Columbus from Mexico City's Paseo de la Reforma as part of what she referred to as a "decolonization" exercise.[59][60][61]
Crisis management
COVID-19 pandemic response
Shortly after the first COVID-19 case in Mexico City was confirmed on 28 February 2020, Sheinbaum addressed the city, emphasizing that although the risk was low, it was crucial for the population to stay informed through official sources.[62] On 19 March, Sheinbaum urged residents to stay at home to prevent the spread of infection. She also advised those with symptoms to text a hotline for guidance instead of going to hospitals, in order to avoid overwhelming the healthcare system.[63] On 22 March, Sheinbaum announced the closure of commercial establishments, cultural venues, sports facilities, and religious spaces.[64]
López Obrador and Sheinbaum had differing views on the use of face masks: Sheinbaum encouraged Mexico City residents to wear face masks, while López Obrador frequently did not wear them in public.[65]
At around 10:22 p.m. on 3 May 2021, several girders, part of the tracks, and two wagons of Line 12 of the Mexico City Metro collapsed between the Olivos and Tezonco stations. The casualties were 26 dead, 80 injured, and five missing. Line 12 of the Metro was inaugurated on 30 October 2012 by the Head of Government of Mexico City, Marcelo Ebrard, and the President of Mexico, Felipe Calderón.[67]
Engineering flaws that had existed since before the line's inauguration became worse over time, necessitating maintenance repairs over the next three years, including an unprecedented closure of the line to re-shape some sections of tracks, and to replace the rails; most of these improvements were carried out during the term of Miguel Ángel Mancera as Head of Government. On 4 May 2021, Ebrard, then serving as Secretary of Foreign Affairs, said that the work was definitively delivered in July 2013, after reviews carried out for seven months, and expressed his willingness to respond and collaborate in the event of any request from the authorities.[68]
The Norwegian company Det Norske Veritas (DNV), in charge of investigating the causes of the collapse of Metro Line 12, detected that one of the beams that collapsed already had structural failures since before the earthquake of 19 September 2017, a factor that had caused problems in the elevated section of the line that collapsed.[69] On 28 June 2021, Sheinbaum dismissed the general director of the Mexico City Metro, Florencia Serranía [es].[70]
Some critics[who?] said Sheinbaum and other leaders should have worked harder to improve the Metro's infrastructure. Some political observers suggested that the political fallout from the disaster could harm Sheinbaum's candidacy in the 2024 presidential election.[71][72] Alejo Sánchez Cano, editor of the Mexico City daily newspaper El Financiero, opined that Sheinbaum's responsibility was unavoidable, stating that after having been in office for two and a half years, she was negligent in failing to maintain the Metro system.[73]
The coalition's internal process consisted of five polls conducted from 28 August to 4 September. On 6 September, Sheinbaum was declared the winner, securing 39.38% of the vote and defeating her closest opponent, former foreign secretary Marcelo Ebrard, by around 13 points.[6] On 19 November 2023, Sheinbaum registered as the sole precandidate of Sigamos Haciendo Historia, the successor coalition to Juntos Hacemos Historia.[77] Sheinbaum formally registered her candidacy at the National Electoral Institute (INE) on 18 February 2024.[78]
On 1 March 2024, Sheinbaum started her campaign at the Zócalo, outlining her proposals and emphasizing her commitment to continuing President Lopez Obrador's Fourth Transformation policies.[79]
The election took place on 2 June 2024, with Sheinbaum being projected the winner by the INE's quick count at 11:50 CST, making her the virtual president-elect of Mexico.[81] Preliminary results indicated that Sheinbaum received the highest number of votes ever recorded for a candidate in Mexican history, carried 31 out of 32 states, and achieved the highest vote percentage since 1982.[82] Results will be finalized through vote counts from 5 to 8 June.[83]
Political views
Social issues
Sheinbaum has openly identified herself as a feminist, aligning her beliefs and actions with the principles of gender equality and women's rights.[84] She advocates for the legalization of abortion, aligning her stance with broader movements aimed at promoting reproductive rights and autonomy for women.[85] During her leadership in Mexico City, Sheinbaum championed LGBT rights by implementing a gender-neutral policy for school uniforms.[86] In 2022, she became the first Head of Government of Mexico City to attend the city's pride march.[87]
Economy
Sheinbaum has criticized the neoliberal economic policies of past presidents of Mexico, arguing that they have contributed to inequality in the country.[88] She has promised to expand welfare under her presidency[89] and intends to continue programs started by López Obrador, such as universal pension.[90]
Environment
Sheinbaum has a background in environmental policy, having served as Minister of the Environment for Mexico City and worked on the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),[91] which would go on to win a Nobel Prize.[92] In her tenure as Minister of the Environment, she saw a marked reduction in air pollution and created community ecological reserves.[93] She has both spoken in favor of clean energy and in support of oil, having praised PEMEX (the nation's state-owned oil company).[94]
Personal life
In 1986, Sheinbaum met Carlos Imaz [es], who later became a prominent political figure in the PRD, during his tenure at Stanford University. They married in 1987 and separated in 2016. They have a daughter, born in 1988. Through the marriage, Sheinbaum became the stepmother to Ímaz's son from a previous marriage, whom she raised.[95]
In 2016, she began dating Jesús María Tarriba Unger, a financial risk analyst for the Bank of Mexico, whom she had known at university.[96]
In November 2023, Sheinbaum announced her marriage to Tarriba via social media.[96]
Selected bibliography
Sheinbaum is the author of over 100 articles and two books on energy, the environment, and sustainable development.[97] A selection follows:
Consumo de energía y emisiones de CO2 del autotransporte en México y Escenarios de Mitigación, Ávila-Solís JC, Sheinbaum-Pardo C. 2016.
Decomposition analysis from demand services to material production: The case of CO2 emissions from steel produced for automobiles in Mexico, Applied Energy, 174: 245–255, Sheinbaum-Pardo C. 2016.
The impact of energy efficiency standards on residential electricity consumption in Mexico, Energy for Sustainable Development, 32:50–61 Martínez-Montejo S.A., Sheinbaum-Pardo C. 2016.
Science and Technology in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals, World Journal of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development, 14:2 – 17. Imaz M. Sheinbaum C. 2017.
Assessing the Impacts of Final Demand on CO2-eq Emissions in the Mexican Economy: An Input-Output Analysis, Energy and Power Engineering, 9:40–54, Chatellier D, Sheinbaum C. 2017.
Electricity sector reforms in four Latin-American countries and their impact on carbon dioxide emissions and renewable energy, Ruíz- Mendoza BJ, Sheinbaum-Pardo C. Energy Policy, 2010
Energy consumption and related CO2 emissions in five Latin American countries: Changes from 1990 to 2006 and perspectives, Sheinbaum C, Ruíz BJ, Ozawa L. Energy, 2010.
Mitigating Carbon Emissions while Advancing National Development Priorities: The Case of Mexico, C Sheinbaum, O Masera, Climatic Change, Springer, 2000.
Energy use and CO2 emissions for Mexico's cement industry, C Sheinbaum, L Ozawa, Energy, Elsevier, 1998.
Energy use and CO2 emissions in Mexico's iron and steel industry, L Ozawa, C Sheinbaum, N Martin, E Worrell, L Price, Energy, Elsevier, 2002.
New trends in industrial energy efficiency in the Mexico iron and steel industry, L Ozawa, N Martin, E Worrell, L Price, C Sheinbaum, OSTI, 1999.
Mexican Electric end-use Efficiency: Experiences to Date, R Friedmann, C Sheinbaum, Annual Review of Energy and the Environment, 1998.
Incorporating Sustainable Development Concerns into Climate Change Mitigation: A Case Study, OR Masera, C Sheinbaum, Climate Change and Development, UDLAP, 2000.
^ abcKahn, Carrie (25 July 2018). "Meet Mexico City's First Elected Female Mayor". NPR. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2018. Both Sheinbaum's parents, also scientists, are children of Jewish immigrants from Bulgaria and Lithuania. Sheinbaum says she celebrated holidays with her grandparents, but her home life was secular
^Flores, José Luis (21 November 2000). "Presenta AMLO su gabinete" [AMLO presents his cabinet]. El Universal (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
^Cardoso, Laura (27 December 2000). "Crearán central de verificentros" [Center of vehicular registration to be created]. El Universal (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2018.