The reduction in poverty during the sexenio (six-year term) of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the arrest of a former CEO of Pemex were among the issues President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about at her Thursday morning press conference.
Here is a recap of the president’s Aug. 14 mañanera.
Sheinbaum highlights reduction in poverty during AMLO’s term
Sheinbaum presented data from a new national statistics agency (INEGI) report that shows that 38.5 million people were living in poverty in Mexico in 2024, down from 51.9 million in 2018.
Of the 38.5 million people living in poverty last year, 31.5 million were in a situation of “moderate” poverty and 7 million were in a situation of “extreme” poverty, according to the INEGI data.
Sheinbaum noted that “more than 13 million people were lifted out of poverty” during the six-year term of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO).
She highlighted that the percentage of Mexico’s population living in poverty declined from 41.9% in 2018 to 29.6% in 2024.
“Do we still have progress to make? Yes. It’s obvious that with 30% of the population in Mexico living in poverty, we have to keep advancing,” Sheinbaum said.
Still, “this reduction in poverty is a feat of the fourth transformation,” she said, referring to the Morena party-led political movement that has been in power since López Obrador took office in late 2018.
“It shows that the model works because it reduced poverty and inequality as well. In other words, there is greater distribution of wealth,” she said.
Sheinbaum said that the reduction in poverty was the result of the increase to the minimum wage in recent years — it almost tripled during AMLO’s term — government welfare programs and “access to rights” for citizens.
“We have to be very proud as Mexicans because this indicator speaks of the essence of our project — humanism. A humanist project is demonstrated in this, in the reduction of poverty,” she said.
“And we’re certain that we’re going to continue making progress. That’s why we talk about continuity and the advance of the fourth transformation,” Sheinbaum said.
Without COVID, poverty reduction would probably have been greater, says Sheinbaum
A reporter asked the president whether the reduction in poverty would have been “significantly greater” during AMLO’s sexenio if the COVID pandemic hadn’t occurred.
“It’s probable,” Sheinbaum responded.
“Remember that during the pandemic, due to the closure of companies that had to be done to avoid infections, GDP fell about 8% in 2020, a very sharp decline,” she said.
Early in her press conference, Sheinbaum acknowledged that the number of people living in poverty actually increased during the first two year’s of López Obrador’s presidency due to the impact of the pandemic and associated restrictions.
However, after the sharp economic contraction in 2020, the economy recovered in 2021 and 2022, the president said.
INEGI data shows that the number of people living in poverty fell to 46.8 million in 2022 from 55.7 million in 2020. The decline continued between 2022 and 2024, with the number of people living in poverty in Mexico falling to 38.5 million people last year, as noted above.
Sheinbaum announces arrest in US of former CEO of Pemex
Sheinbaum announced that a former CEO of Pemex was arrested in the United States on Wednesday on corruption charges. She didn’t initially name the CEO she was referring to, but later confirmed it was Carlos Alberto Treviño, head of Pemex during the final year of Enrique Peña Nieto’s 2012-18 presidency.
“They’re going to deport him and he will be tried here in Mexico on corruption issues,” Sheinbaum said.
“… It has to do with the Odebrecht case,” she said, referring to a corruption investigation involving the Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht, which allegedly paid more than US $10 million in bribes to another former Pemex CEO, Emilio Lozoya.
Sheinbaum said that the case against Treviño is related to the allegations against Lozoya, who was released from preventive detention in early 2024, but still hasn’t faced trial.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])
