Mexico's first woman president has unprecedented power but an uncertain future

Mexico has shattered its glass ceiling, as Claudia Sheinbaum was inaugurated on Oct. 1 as the country's first woman president. As president, Sheinbaum is expected to largely follow the

mandates of her predecessor, former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Both are members of the left-wing Morena political party, and López Obrador was considered one of the most

progressive Mexican leaders in decades. Sheinbaum will have one major difference from López Obrador, though, as Mexico's new president will have a nearly unprecedented level of power at

her disposal. This comes as the result of several factors, including the weakening of Mexico's judiciary and sweeping congressional control by the Morena party. Despite this, Sheinbaum

may still be facing an uphill battle to fix the many problems facing her country. WHY WILL SHEINBAUM BE SUCH A POWERFUL PRESIDENT? It is partly because she is taking over a "government

utterly dominated by the ruling Morena party," said The Conversation. The party has existed for just over 10 years, but "has exploited pervasive public disillusionment with the

more established parties." As a result, the party has solid majorities in both chambers of Mexico's Congress; Three-quarters of the country's 32 state governors are also from

the Morena party. SUBSCRIBE TO THE WEEK Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. SUBSCRIBE & SAVE SIGN UP FOR THE WEEK'S

FREE NEWSLETTERS From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good

News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. This gubernatorial and congressional consolidation, completed by the still-popular López Obrador's coalition,

means Sheinbaum "begins her term in an extremely powerful position," said The Conversation. The Morena party is "now so dominant that Mexicans are likening the new government

to the one-party system that ruled for most of the 20th century," said The Washington Post. Sheinbaum's power will also be boosted by López Obrador's "judicial overhaul

that will over the next three years replace all of the country's judges with new jurists elected by popular vote," said Reuters. This could lead to a highly politicized judiciary

that works in Sheinbaum's favor. Mexico "will be transformed, for all practical purposes, into a one-party autocracy," former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo said at The

Economist. CAN SHEINBAUM ADDRESS MEXICO'S CHALLENGES? Sheinbaum campaigned on a continuation of López Obrador's progressivism. But she takes office at a "time when the nation

faces pressing problems, including spiraling organized violence, a slowing economy, and tensions with the United States" because of the judicial overhaul, said Time. The new president

"won't face the kinds of checks and balances that her predecessors did," but she "faces a national security threat in the growing political and economic clout of

organized crime groups," said the Post. The country is also seeing an epidemic of femicides that will undoubtedly be at the top of Sheinbaum's to-do list. But despite her seemingly

large swath of power, Sheinbaum "will take office with empty coffers" and growing uncertainty because of the judicial reforms, pro-democracy advocate Carlos Heredia said to The

Wall Street Journal. Beyond this, one of her most pressing issues — securing the U.S.-Mexico border — could "be upended if Trump wins the election," said the Journal, as Trump

"has vowed to deport millions of migrants and threatened military strikes against drug gangs in Mexico." And while power has been consolidated, Mexicans remain split along

ideological lines regarding their new president. As Sheinbaum took office, hundreds of people in Mexico City "marched against a controversial overhaul of the judiciary," while

thousands of Morena supporters "filled the main square, waving flags and chanting for the outgoing leader," said the Financial Times. Sheinbaum's election is "history in

the making," and "we're counting on her to give us all her support," Sheinbaum supporter Graciela Hernández said to the Financial Times. Explore More Mexico