President Sheinbaum’s legal advisor Ernestina Godoy takes over as attorney general amid security crisis and policy disagreements.
MEXICO CITY: Mexican lawmakers have appointed President Claudia Sheinbaum’s legal advisor as the new attorney general.
Ernestina Godoy, who served as Mexico City’s top prosecutor when Sheinbaum was mayor, was selected by the Senate on Wednesday.
Her appointment follows the sudden departure of her predecessor, Alejandro Gertz, who resigned last week at the president’s request.
Gertz, 86, was Mexico’s first independent attorney general, appointed for a nine-year term in 2019.
Sheinbaum had publicly emphasised a need for “greater coordination” between federal and state prosecutors last week, appearing to criticise his office.
Media reports suggested growing tensions over crime policy and leaks to the press regarding sensitive investigations.
Godoy takes office as authorities face intense public pressure to improve security.
Major protests over organised crime rocked the country last month.
The government has faced heat for its handling of Mexico’s high crime rates.
In early November, Uruapan mayor Carlos Manzo was assassinated in Michoacan after appealing to the federal government for help.
The murder sparked protests in Michoacan and huge youth-led demonstrations in Mexico City.
Those demonstrations spiralled into clashes with police, resulting in over 100 injuries.
Before the Senate vote, incoming attorney general Godoy promised coordination with public security authorities.
She also pledged to work with local prosecutor offices and human rights organisations.
Under Mexican law, the attorney general is chosen from a list of three candidates submitted to the Senate by the president’s office.
Sheinbaum had offered Gertz an ambassadorial position, though the destination country has not been named.
