Thursday Oct. 31 is the 31st day of Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo’s presidency and the final day of her first month as Mexico’s first female president.
Like her predecessor and political mentor Andrés Manuel López Obrador did throughout his six-year term, the 62-year-old former Mexico City mayor is fronting up to the media every weekday morning at the National Palace in the historic center of Mexico City.
Sheinbaum’s morning press conference, or mañanera, on Thursday was her 22nd as president. Here is a brief summary of some key parts of this morning’s presser, a return of sorts to a previous Mexico News Daily series where we documented the former president’s press conferences.
A new medication procurement model
Deputy Health Minister Eduardo Clark García outlined the government’s new model for purchasing medications for Mexico’s public health system (read MND’s report here).
Sheinbaum said that the government will spend some 130 billion pesos (US $6.5 billion) annually on medications and medical supplies.
There will be “transparency” and “zero corruption” in the medication procurement process, Sheinbaum pledged.
Sheinbaum defends ‘constitutional supremacy’ reform
The president expressed her support for the “constitutional supremacy” reform that was approved by the Senate last week and the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday (read MND’s report here) and has already been ratified by enough states to become law.
The constitutional reform will prevent legal challenges against constitutional amendments that have been approved by Congress and ratified by a majority of state legislatures.
“The opposition has been talking about this constitutional supremacy issue as if it were something new or something bad,” Sheinbaum said at her press conference Thursday.
“All of us who study, even if we haven’t studied law, know that the constitution is the maximum law,” she said.
The “constitutional supremacy” reform, Sheinbaum argued, is simply reinforcing the fact that the constitution is the supreme law of the land.
‘We’re going to support Cuba for humanitarian reasons’
Sheinbaum was asked about Mexico’s decision to send 400,000 barrels of oil to Cuba, which recently experienced a nationwide blackout.
“We’re going to support Cuba for humanitarian reasons. And, in addition, Mexico has never been in favor of the blockade,” she said, referring to the United States embargo against the Caribbean island nation that has been ruled by the Communist Party of Cuba for around six decades.
“Just to provide perspective,” Sheinbaum said, 400,000 barrels of oil “is not even the production of one day,” given that “Mexico produces 1.6 to 1.8 million barrels per day.”
“… Even though there is criticism, we’re going to be supportive [of Cuba] and for humanitarian reasons,” she said.
Third-quarter economic growth
“It beat all expectations,” Sheinbaum said of the Mexican economy’s 1.5% annual growth rate in the third quarter of 2024 (read MND’s report here).
“… They said GDP wasn’t going to grow in that quarter. Well, it did grow, 1.5%,” she said.
Sheinbaum to attend G20 Summit in Brazil
The president told reporters Thursday morning that she will attend the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, which takes place Nov. 18–19.
It will be Sheinbaum’s first overseas trip as president.
López Obrador didn’t attend any G20 meetings during his presidency and was largely absent on the world stage during his six-year term, although he did go to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Summit in San Francisco last year.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
* This is MND’s first “Sheinbaum mañanera brief,” but look out for more in this series soon. (The president won’t hold a morning press conference on Friday due to the annual Day of the Dead holiday.)
