Claudia Sheinbaum officially becomes Mexico's first female president in history

(Patria) - Former Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum has officially become the first female president of Mexico since the country's independence in 1821, succeeding Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Sheinbaum, a climate scientist of Jewish descent, was sworn in before deputies and senators in the Mexican congress.

In June, she won the election with almost 60% of the vote, running on behalf of the ruling left-wing party, the Movement for National Regeneration (Morena), and its allies. They also hold a comfortable majority in parliament, allowing them to amend the constitution without opposition support.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and US First Lady Jill Biden also attended the inauguration. Mexico declared a national holiday for the inauguration.

The former Mexico City mayor takes over from her mentor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who brought her into politics in 2000 as the environment ombudsman for the capital city's government.

Her victory is a major step for Mexico, a country known for its 'macho' culture, home to the world's second-largest Catholic population.

Sheinbaum is also the first woman to win an election on the entire continent. The US has yet to achieve this.

The new president faces a difficult task. She will need to balance strengthening social policies with the budget deficit and slow economic growth.

Immediately after her victory, she announced that her government would be fiscally responsible and respect the autonomy of the central bank.

Sheinbaum also announced that she would strengthen the country's security, but did not say how she would do so after the most violent elections in modern Mexican history, which saw 38 candidates murdered beforehand.

Analysts claim that organized crime groups have strengthened and expanded their influence during the term of Lopez Obrador, also known by the acronym AMLO.

AMLO doubled the minimum wage, reduced poverty, the peso strengthened during his term, and unemployment decreased, making him extremely popular, Reuters wrote.

He was very present in the campaign for these elections, trying to portray them as a referendum on his political legacy.

Sheinbaum has rejected criticism that she will be his puppet, although she has announced that she will continue many of his policies.