“Today, invisible women come to power”: Claudia Sheinbaum

Mexico City. President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo praised the struggle that women have made throughout history so that today, for the first time, a woman will occupy the presidency of the Republic. In her first public act, after receiving the certificate in the morning that accredits her as the next president, she reiterated that the election of ministers, magistrates and judges is going ahead, because “it is a popular mandate.” She also made it clear that she will not distance herself from President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

During his address to his next cabinet, elected and acting governors, legislators and members of Morena, he called on the cherry-colored party to reform its statutes to clearly separate party tasks from those of government, and then stressed that from this moment on it will stop representing a part of society and will instead represent all Mexicans.

For her first act as president-elect, the more than 3,100 seats at the Metropolitan Theater in downtown Mexico City were full. Many even had to stand in the aisles.

The second row was occupied by all the governors in office and elected by Morena, while the first row was occupied by their next cabinet. Also in the first row were the current Secretaries of National Defense and the Navy.

In response to the shouts of “President, President” with which she was greeted in this auditorium, she explained that with the vote of June 2, “two clear and forceful mandates were embodied: First, it is time for transformation. Second, it is time for women.”

Over the course of 47 minutes, in a message that she clarified would be short since she will have the opportunity on October 1, at her inauguration, to expand on it, she dedicated a large part to vindicating the struggles of women. At the same time, she insisted that she is not arriving alone, but accompanied by the fighters who have even given their lives so that the moment arrives when a woman occupies the presidency.

And by emphasizing that she does not arrive alone, in an emotional message she expressed that “the invisible ones also arrive, and with these lines I make them visible. I make those who wanted to disappear appear, those who fought for their dream and achieved it, those who fought and did not achieve it. Those who were able to raise their voice arrive and those who did not. Those who had to remain silent and then cried out alone arrive. The most marginalized arrive. Grandmothers arrive, great-grandmothers, who did not learn to read and write because school was not for girls. Our aunts arrive, who found a way to be strong in their solitude. Our mothers arrive, who gave us life and then gave us everything again.”

Likewise, “our sisters arrive. Our companions arrive. Our friends arrive. The anonymous women arrive, the anonymous heroines, who from their homes, the streets or their workplaces fought to see this moment. They arrive, those who dreamed of the possibility that one day it would not matter if we were born women or men, we could realize our dreams and desires without our sex determining our destiny. They arrive, all of them, who thought of us and think of us as free and happy. And with all of them at our side, here, close to us, our great desires also arrive, which are not only for women.”

Her words sparked cries of “the first, the first,” alluding to the first female president that Mexico will have. Also heard was the chorus of “it is an honor to be with Claudia today,” which they supported her with during her campaign.

“For a long time, women were ignored. Many of us were told a version of history since we were children that wanted us to believe that the course of humanity was solely dominated by men,” said the future president.

She immediately named some of the women who have been transcendental in the history of the country, and who also, she said, have arrived with her at this moment. She mentioned Leona Vicario, “Josefa Ortiz, forgive me for not saying de Domínguez,” she clarified, the chinacas, the workers of the Porfiriato era, Dolores Jiménez and Juana Gutiérrez, Elvia Carrillo Puerto, Hermila Galindo, Refugio García, Consuelo Uranga and Esther Chapa. She named Sor Juan Inés de la Cruz, Frida Kahlo and Rosario Castellanos. All of them worked so that women have the recognition of the right to vote, to education, to divorce and to health.

In the face of her legacy, and just as she did in the morning at the headquarters of the Electoral Tribunal, she made a respectful invitation: “Let us name a woman president with an ‘A’… just as we say a woman judge, a woman lawyer, a woman scientist, an woman engineer, with an ‘A’, because as we have been taught, what is named exists and what is not named does not exist, and today we can proudly claim it. It took 200 years of independent Mexico, 200 years… 200 years, it is easy to say, two centuries, several generations in between, 65 previous male presidents, for us to be able to say woman president today.”

“It has been, is and will be an honor to be with Obrador”

Regarding Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whom he described as “the best president Mexico has ever had,” he said:

“Our adversaries get upset when I talk about Andrés Manuel López Obrador. They think it affects me when they repeat their insults loaded with misogyny. What they would like is for there to be a distinction that would mark a difference, that would criticize him… I am not going to do it. Never. First, because for me it has been, is and will be an honor to be with Obrador.”

Moments earlier, he recapitulated several of the achievements of the current administration. He highlighted the plans for justice for indigenous peoples, airports, the Mayan Train, the nationalization of lithium, the purchase of power plants, the Banco del Bienestar, the disappearance of outsourcing and the strength of the national economy. And he continued on for several more minutes, returning to several of the projects of the López Obrador government.

He also referred to the possible reform of the Judicial Branch that is being analyzed in the Congress of the Union. He guaranteed that the workers of this sector will have their labor rights and careers respected. Meanwhile, in response to the concerns of national and foreign businessmen, he emphasized that “we are strengthening the Rule of Law to eradicate corruption, nepotism and the privilege of a few. They have nothing to worry about, on the contrary, they will now have the guarantee of true independence and autonomy of the Judicial Branch and the Rule of Law.”

But in the case of the election of ministers, magistrates and judges, he said: “What must be clear is that the election of ministers, magistrates and judges is a popular mandate. I said it now, they will not let me lie, we were there at the Electoral Tribunal of the Judicial Branch of the Federation, the ministers of the Supreme Court of Justice were present and we said it clearly, there is a popular mandate to improve justice for Mexicans.”

He then paused in his message to talk about the movement he now leads. Before pointing out that “I stop representing a part of society and from today I represent all Mexicans,” he suggested that it would be pertinent to call a Morena congress in September, aimed at updating the basic documents and statutes of the cherry-colored party, “and that a clear route can be drawn that separates the work of the party and the work of the government in the transformation process. And of course, it is a suggestion that the new leadership of our party be elected at this congress.”

She left just as she was received amidst a chorus of “President, President,” while hundreds of supporters awaited her in the street.