President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum announced five additional appointments to her cabinet on Thursday, including new ministers for energy, health and public administration.
Sheinbaum, who will take office on Oct. 1, announced that Luz Elena González Escobar, a former finance minister in the Mexico City government, will be her energy minister, and David Kershenobich Stalnikowitz, ex-director of the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition, will be her health minister.
Raquel Buenrostro Sánchez, the current federal economy minister, will become public administration minister, a role in which she will have responsibility for the ongoing government fight against corruption.
Sheinbaum also announced that Jesús Antonio Esteva Medina, the current public works and services minister in the Mexico City government, will be her infrastructure, communications and transport minister.
The fifth and final cabinet appointment the president-elect announced Thursday was Edna Elena Vega Rangel as minister of agrarian, land and urban development. Vega is currently a deputy agrarian, land and urban development minister.
Sheinbaum described her new appointees as a “great team,” and noted that Buenrostro, Esteva and Vega will remain in their current government roles for the time being.
“They have double duty because they’ll be participating in all the transition processes,” she said.
Two of the appointees, González and Esteva, were members of Sheinbaum’s government when she was mayor of Mexico City between 2018 and 2023.
The president-elect has now named 12 members of her cabinet.
The day after her landslide victory in the presidential election, Sheinbaum announced that current Finance Minister Rogelio Ramírez de la O would remain in his role after Oct.1, while last Thursday she named five additional ministers and the executive legal counsel.
Among the key appointments still to be announced are the interior minister, security minister, defense minister and welfare minister roles.
Based on the announcements made to date, Sheinabum’s cabinet — made up of six men and six women — is as follows:
- Economy minister: Marcelo Ebrard
- Environment and natural resources minister: Alicia Bárcena
- Finance Minister: Rogelio Ramírez de la O
- Minister for science, humanities, technology and innovation: Rosaura Ruiz
- Foreign Affairs Minister: Juan Ramón de la Fuente
- Legal counsel to the president: Ernestina Godoy
- Agriculture and rural development minister: Julio Berdegué
- Energy minister: Luz Elena González Escobar
- Health Minister: David Kershenobich Stalnikowitz
- Public administration minister: Raquel Buenrostro
- Infrastructure, communications and transport minister: Jesús Antonio Esteva Medina
- Agrarian, land and urban development minister: Edna Elena Vega Rangel
What are the backgrounds of the new cabinet appointees?
Luz Elena González Escobar
The soon-to-be energy minister served as administration and finance minister during Sheinbaum’s 2018-2023 mayorship in Mexico. She has degrees in economics, law and urban management.
González has held a number of other positions in the Mexico City government, including the directorship of the capital’s Passenger Transportation Network in the early 2000s.
She will succeed Miguel Ángel Maciel Torres as energy minister.
Sheinbaum has pledged to invest billions of dollars in a renewables-focused energy plan, but is also committed to continuing support for the debt-ridden state oil company Pemex.
David Kershenobich Stalnikowitz
Mexico’s next health minister is a veteran medical doctor and surgeon with more than 50 years’ experience in the field. The octogenarian has also worked as a professor of medicine at the National Autonomous University (UNAM).
Kershenobich was general director of the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition between 2012 and 2022.
He will succeed Jorge Alcocer as health minister.
Raquel Buenrostro Sánchez
The soon-to-be public administration minister was appointed economy minister in 2022 after Tatiana Clouthier resigned. Before that, Buenrostro was head of the federal tax agency SAT for almost three years.
She has served in a range of other government roles, including as a high-ranking official in the federal Finance Ministry. She has degrees in mathematics and economics.
Buenrostro will succeed Roberto Salcedo Aquino as public administration minister.
Jesús Antonio Esteva Medina
The future infrastructure, communications and transport minister has been the minister of public works and services in Mexico City since 2018, when Sheinbaum became mayor.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Esteva was the Mexico City government’s director of infrastructure projects and subsequently worked as UNAM’s director of planning and infrastructure evaluation.
He has an undergraduate degree in civil engineering and a master’s in structural engineering.
Esteva will succeed Jorge Nuño Lara as infrastructure, communications and transport minister.
Edna Elena Vega Rangel
Mexico’s next agrarian, land and urban development minister was general director of the National Housing Commission for almost four years before becoming a deputy minister in the ministry she will soon lead in 2022.
Vega has also held a range of public roles in Mexico City, including head of the capital’s Housing Institute.
She has undergraduate and doctorate degrees in sociology, and a master’s in urban planning.
Vega will succeed Román Meyer Falcón as agrarian, land and urban development minister.
Mexico News Daily
