MEXICO CITY (AP) 鈥� began naming her Cabinet Thursday, presenting an even gender distribution, as well as a heavy presence from academia and her prior administration as Mexico City's mayor.
Sheinbaum, , appointed former Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard as her administration鈥檚 economy secretary. Ebrard to run against Sheinbaum for their party鈥檚 nomination.
Sheinbaum romped to victory in the June 2 election.
Ebrard, 63, was the official placed in charge of obtaining foreign-made vaccines for Mexico during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also served from 2006 to 2012 as mayor of Mexico City, traditionally the launching pad for the presidency.
While he was once viewed as the second-most important figure in the Morena party, his standing was tarnished by two key events. First, a subway line that was hastily and poorly constructed while he was mayor collapsed in 2021, . Second, he engaged in a bare-knuckle primary race against Sheinbaum in 2023 for Morena鈥檚 presidential nomination, but instead of conceding defeat quickly, he alleged irregularities and continued with legal challenges.
Still, the appointment of Ebrard appeared to be welcomed by investors, who were spooked earlier in the month following a number of proposed judicial reforms by Sheinbaum, which . After Thursday's Cabinet picks were announced, the Mexican currency showed a slight appreciation.
Ebrard will have to take on the renewal of a free trade agreement with the United States and Canada and increase foreign investment, another well-received announcement, said Gabriela Siller, director of economic analysis of the local financial group Banco Base.
However, Siller said the markets' concern 鈥渉as not disappeared鈥� as worries mount around the proposed .
Sheinbaum chose Juan Ram贸n de la Fuente as her secretary of foreign affairs.
De la Fuente, 72, is the former rector of Mexico鈥檚 largest university, the public National Autonomous University of Mexico, or UNAM, which Sheinbaum attended and worked at.
He has served as Mexico鈥檚 ambassador to the United Nations under L贸pez Obrador and is known for a calm and diplomatic demeanor.
He was health secretary in the late 1990s. Trained as a psychiatrist, De la Fuente is good at listening and has an academic air, like Sheinbaum herself. He served in the key position as her transition coordinator, so he's as close to her as anyone.
Mexico's current foreign affairs secretary, Alicia B谩rcena, will now serve as secretary of environment and natural resources.
Sheinbaum said Thursday she will create a new ministry overseeing science, humanities, technology and innovation. For that role, she chose Rosaura Ruiz Guti茅rrez, a biologist who previously led the school of sciences at UNAM. Ruiz Guti茅rrez had also been Mexico City鈥檚 secretary of education while Sheinbaum was mayor.
Sheinbaum tapped Ernestina Godoy, who was the chief prosecutor for Mexico City when Sheinbaum was mayor, to be her administration鈥檚 legal adviser.
Julio Berdegu茅 Sacrist谩n, an agronomist with a long academic trajectory, was her choice for the secretary of agriculture and rural development.
Sheinbaum said she would present more Cabinet picks next week.
___
Follow AP鈥檚 coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
The Associated Press
