Meet Mexico's FIRST female President, Claudia Sheinbaum
Legend in making, Claudia Sheinbaum
Climate scientist Claudia Sheinbaum, belonging to the governing leftist Morena Party, is set to become Mexicos first female President defeating opposition candidates Xóchitl Gálvez from the consecutive PAN party and Jorge Alvarez Maynez, the youngest in the poll race.
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Early life
Sheinbaum was born on June 24, 1962, in Mexico City to two science professors. Her grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Bulgaria and Lithuania. She noted that she celebrated Jewish holidays at her grandparents’ homes but other than that identifies as secular.
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Education
After spending her childhood in Mexico City, Sheinbaum enrolled at the National Autonomous University of Mexico to study Physics. She did her masters in energy engineering and conducted her doctoral research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, U.S. She was politically active as a student and professor.
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Political career
She was appointed as Mexicos environmental minister by Major Andrés Manuel López Obrador, her political mentor. After Lópezs deafeat in 2006 presidential elections, she returned to UNAM and contributed to the climate change mitigation section. Then she was elected as the Mayor, and held the position for considerable years, becoming the first woman and Jewish person to hold the role.
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Her contribution as an environmentalist
During her tenure, she emphasized a variety of environmental issues, improving waste management, beginning a reforestation program and expanding rainwater harvesting. She is more well-known for her highly visible projects, such as bike lanes, electric buses, and cable cars for impoverished districts.
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Remarkable achievement
For a country like Mexico which has been known for its Mancho Culture and is home to the worlds second-biggest Roman Catholic population, famous for its orthodox values including pushing for more traditional values and roles for women, this is a remarkable step forward.
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Challenges that lie ahead
This time, Mexicos election was longest and bloodiest with several candidates being murdered by organisations trying to influence those in power. Claudia will have to combat organised crime violence, which is currently at its peak in Mexico.
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