During a nearly hour-long speech commemorating her first year in office, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum highlighted record foreign direct investment, the rise in tourism, the strength of the peso, and 19 reforms approved in Congress, among other topics to a crowd of over 400,000 people. A transcript of her speech follows the video below.
PRESIDENT OF MEXICO, CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM PARDO:
Amigas, Amigos.Governors.Businesspeople.Workers.People of Mexico:
We meet once again in this grand Zócalo square, the heart of the Republic. Here, where the heart of history beats, we gather together to commemorate one year of the people’s government—because I do not walk alone, I do not govern alone; ours is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people of Mexico.
We are experiencing a historic moment. Our country is proceeding along the road of social justice, dignity, and with the guarantee of social rights, freedom, democracy, and sovereignty.
This is not a minor or fleeting achievement. It is the fruit of decades of peaceful struggle, organization, and resistance. It is also the legacy of an honest man deeply committed to his people: President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
There have been efforts to divide us, to break us apart. Their goal is nothing less than to end the Transformation movement by dividing us. But that will not happen—because we share values: honesty, justice, and love for the people of Mexico.
This is because we share a project: Mexican Humanism. And because we did not come into the government merely to administer—we came to continue transforming the nation for the well-being of its people.
Andrés Manuel López Obrador was, is, and always will be an example of honesty, austerity, and profound love for the Mexican people. He never yielded to pressure, never sold out to the powerful, never strayed from his principles. And let it be said clearly: your President will not either, because we have convictions, we have principles.
No matter how strong the pressures may be, we bow before only one entity: the people of Mexico.
Let it be heard loud and clear, near and far: In Mexico, the people rule!
The conservatives would like us to forget how things used to be—Presidents surrounded by luxury, governments detached from the people, fortunes built, shielded by the government. But that is over, because in this new Mexico, honesty is not the exception—it is the rule. And whoever betrays the people, whoever steals from the people, faces justice.
Power is not meant in order to become rich, but to serve with humility. Public resources are sacred, and they are returned to the people in the form of rights, social wellbeing programs, and strategic work projects for national development.
Let us remember that between 1982 and 2018—over the course of six presidential administrations, 36 years—Mexico lived through the dark night of neoliberalism. Those who governed then had no convictions beyond money and the market. They ruled for a few while millions were left behind.
That is why, in 2008, 45 percent of the Mexican population lived in poverty. That was the face of injustice, corruption, and privilege. That was the reality inherited by the Fourth Transformation—and that is the reality we decided to change.
And look at what we’ve achieved. Unlike that 45 percent of the past, today the population living in poverty is 29 percent. Of course, we must continue working so that no Mexican lives in poverty, but I am certain of one thing: we are on the right path.
This achievement is already written in our national history. Between 2018 and 2024, some 13.5 million Mexicans emerged from poverty. No matter how much they try, they cannot erase that—not with campaigns based on hate, not with lies, not with slander. It is an irrefutable fact.
Moreover, the reduction of poverty came with a decrease in inequality. In 2008, the income of the richest 10 percent of the population was 27 times higher than that of the poorest 10 percent. By 2024, that gap had been reduced from 27 times higher to 14 times higher.
Under neoliberalism, we became one of the most unequal countries in the world; now we are the second least unequal country in the hemisphere, behind only Canada.
Our economic model is completely different—it can be summed up in this humanist slogan: “For the good of all, the poor come first.”
Thanks to this, despite difficult international circumstances, our economy is strong this year: expected annual growth of 1.2 percent, despite doomsayers predicting a decline; record foreign direct investment in the first half of 2025; tourism up 13.8 percent; our currency remains below 19 pesos per dollar; unemployment is at 2.7 percent, among the lowest in the world; and annual inflation in September was 3.7 percent.
I would like to thank producers and distributors for once again signing the Economic Package Against Inflation and the High Cost of Living, as well as the Voluntary Agreement to prevent increases in the price of gasoline and corn-tortillas.
By September, the number of workers registered with the Social Security Institute reached 22.5 million. In June of this year, the recent labor reform came into effect, under which all digital platform workers must have Social Security.
In Mexico, we enjoy freedom and democracy. Contrary to the lies spread by most of the media, the entire world knows that in Mexico:
The people are not repressed, State violence is not used against them, human rights are respected, there is more freedom of expression than ever before, there is no censorship, and all branches of government are elected by the people.
In the past thirteen months, we have proposed profound legislative transformations:
19 constitutional reforms and 40 new laws have been approved. I would like to highlight the most important:
- The Judicial Branch Reform. In June 2025, Mexicans held free elections for Supreme Court justices, judges, and magistrates.
I would like to take this opportunity to greet the new Supreme Court justices.
The era of nepotism, corruption, and privilege in the judicial branch is over, and a new era of legality and justice for all begins—a true rule of law.
Those who dispense justice must serve the people and their causes, not—as before—the interests of political, economic, or even criminal factions.
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The incorporation of the National Guard into the Ministry of National Defense to ensure its professionalism, permanence, and integrity.
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The amendments to Article 2 of the Constitution to fully recognize the rights of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples.
Long live Mexico’s Indigenous peoples!
AUDIENCE: Viva!
PRESIDENT CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM PARDO:
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Amendments to Articles 25, 27, and 28 of the Constitution to reverse a major part of the 2013 Energy Reform. Thanks to this and the secondary laws[1], we have fully reclaimed Pemex and the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) as companies belonging to the Mexican people.
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Amendments to Article 28 to allow public internet services directly provided by the State.
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Women’s equality is now enshrined in the Constitution.
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Passenger train service is back in the Constitution.
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All social wellbeing programs are now recognized as constitutional rights of the Mexican people.
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Amendments to Article 123 recognizing workers’ right to housing. The old view of INFONAVIT and FOVISSSTE[2] as “businesses” is over—housing is a right of the Mexican people.
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Protection of native species of corn and a ban on genetically modified corn. It is now written in the Constitution that “without corn, there is no country.”
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As I promised, starting in 2030, there will be no reelection for any elected office, and positions in elected office can no longer be inherited. No to nepotism!
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In response to a desire on the part of any foreign power to intervene in Mexico, the following text has been enshrined in the Constitution:
“The people of Mexico, under no circumstance, will accept interventions, interference, or any other act from abroad that harms its integrity, independence, or sovereignty, such as coups d’état, interference in elections, or violations of Mexican territory—by land, water, sea, or airspace.”
This reform says it clearly in a few short words: Mexico does not accept interference, does not accept interventionism! We are a free, independent, and sovereign country!
I would also like to take this moment to clarify that the proposed reform to the Amparo Law[3] guarantees citizens’ rights against any act of authority—that is fully safeguarded. Its purpose is to make the delivery of justice faster and more effective, to ensure swift action against money laundering, and to prevent amparo protections from becoming lifelong shields for the powerful individuals of yesteryear who refuse to pay their taxes.
AUDIENCE: Presidenta! Presidenta! Presidenta!
PRESIDENT OF MEXICO, CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM PARDO:
I would like to profoundly thank the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies, and the state congresses for their patriotic and consistent actions in approving these historic reforms.
AUDIENCE: It’s an honor to be with Claudia today! It’s an honor to be with Claudia today! It’s an honor to be with Claudia today!
PRESIDENT CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM PARDO:
It’s worth asking ourselves: how was this historic reduction in poverty and inequality achieved?
It’s called social justice.
The minimum wage was increased, the Wellbeing Programs were established, and the Mexican State recovered its capacity to guide the economy and to carry out strategic public work projects.
Let us remember that for 36 years, the minimum wage did not increase. Now, between 2018 and 2025, the increase has been 135 percent in real terms.
In 2018, the minimum wage was 88 pesos per day; in 2025, it is 279 pesos per day, and in the Northern Border Zone, 420 pesos per day.[4]
They used to say, “If wages go up, there will be inflation, no investment, and the currency will devalue.” Lies!
The minimum wage rose, inflation is under control, foreign direct investment is at record levels, and our peso is among the most stable currencies in the world.
This year we are allocating 850 billion pesos[5] for the benefit of 32 million families—that is, 82.4 percent of Mexican families receive direct support.
No one is asked, “Who are you voting for?” or “Which party do you belong to?” The Wellbeing Programs are for the people of Mexico—universal, direct, and without intermediaries. The buying of votes is over.
The scope of the Wellbeing Programs by the end of 2025 is as follows:
13 million people over 65 years of age receive a pension/stipend.
1.6 million people with disabilities receive a pension/stipend.
3.9 million students receive the Benito Juárez Universal Stipend for attending public high school.
2.2 million families with children in elementary school receive educational stipends.
400,000 university students receive scholarships/stipends.
63,252 basic education schools and 6,050 high schools receive “Our School is Ours” funding.
11,816 healthcare centers benefit from The Clinic is Ours program.
264,000 young people participate in the Youth Building the Future program.
243,000 children aged 0–4 receive financial support.
192,000 fishers benefit from Bienpesca.
1.8 million peasant farmers receive Production for Wellbeing and Free Fertilizers produced by Pemex.
34,000 small corn and bean producers sell their products in Wellbeing Stores. And yes, this year they have the chance to engage in fair trade with Wellbeing Chocolate and Coffee.
415,000 planters cultivating more than one million hectares are part of the Sowing Life program.
3,005 dairy producers supply milk to 6.8 million families through the Milk for Wellbeing program.
And this year there are three new Wellbeing Programs:
The first: economic support for all women aged 60 to 64—a recognition of the years of caregiving that working women have provided.
Also, this year, in coordination with the Mexican Social Security Institute, we are building 1,000 daycare centers, now called Early Education and Child Care Centers for working women.
This year, all middle school students receive the “Rita Cetina” Stipend, and next year, we will expand this to elementary schools as well.
All senior citizens and people with disabilities receive House to House Healthcare visits, with 20,000 healthcare workers engaged in the program.
This is the most ambitious social plan in Mexico’s history, founded on the principle of trust in our people and in the belief that social rights are the foundation of wellbeing.
By the same token, for the first time in history, 20,358 Indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities receive public funds directly from the government.
In the Fourth Transformation, we are convinced that the State must guarantee the people’s rights—access to education, healthcare, and housing.
After so many years of neglect, we still have much to do, but we have made enormous progress.
With that spirit in mind, we have set out to guarantee public education from the start to the university level.
For teachers, this year we granted a 10 percent salary increase, gradually reduced the retirement age for those employed under Transitory Article 10 of the Constitution, strengthened the solidarity pension system through the Wellbeing Pension Fund, and—as I promised—in the next few months we will hold a nationwide school-by-school consultation to replace the controversial USICAMM system with one designed by and for the teachers themselves.
We created the National Baccalaureate, which integrates and harmonizes all high school systems.
This year we are opening 38,000 new places for high school students—out of at least 120,000 we plan to open.
As has gone viral—and we will make it a reality—we are building more high schools closer to students’ homes, so they can go straight from middle school to high school.
In 2025, students entering high school in the Valley of Mexico no longer took the COMIPEMS exam.
The new system has a symbolic name: instead of an exclusionary exam, it’s called “My Right, My Place.”
Our perspective is also that every young person who wants to go to university has the right to do so free of charge.
That’s why we are strengthening the Benito Juárez Universities for Wellbeing and have created the Rosario Castellanos National University, which already has 77,000 students.
This year we invested in arts training schools and eliminated enrollment fees.
Through the “México Sings” program, we are connecting young people in the United States and Mexico to promote a culture of peace.
We inaugurated the Cineteca of the Fourth Section of the Bosque de Chapultepec park.
And in December, together with several Latin American countries, we will launch the “25 Books for 2025” project, to bring Magical Realism back to new generations.
We are asking Congress to allocate part of the resources freed by cuts in the Judiciary’s budget to increase cultural funding, particularly for Mexican film production.
In 23 states, the IMSS-Bienestar healthcare system is now operating and growing stronger every day.
We created the Healthcare Routes to ensure that medicines reach every corner of the country. I’ve been informed that we have 90 percent of demand covered at both the primary and secondary levels of care.
By the end of this year, we will have inaugurated 31 new hospitals under IMSS, ISSSTE, and IMSS-Bienestar management.
We began the “Laboratory in Your Clinic” program so most healthcare centers can properly diagnose patients; by December, it will be fully implemented in 23 states, including Yucatán, which is joining IMSS-Bienestar.
Our goal is to build 1.8 million “Wellbeing Homes”, with affordable credit for families earning less than two times the minimum wage.
I’m pleased to report that 300,000 such homes are already under construction, and the first homes have been delivered.
In addition, 5 million families burdened with unpayable INFONAVIT and FOVISSSTE mortgages will benefit from debt relief and reductions, ending a system that turned loans into a business rather than a means of social support.
To date, 1.5 million families have already received this benefit.
Let me clarify—don’t believe the lies you might hear—the Mayan Train has transported 1.7 million passengers since its opening.
15 million passengers and nearly 1 million tons of cargo have been transported from the Felipe Ángeles Airport.
The Olmeca Refinery produces an average of 270,000 barrels of fuel per day.
And since its creation, Mexicana de Aviación has flown 750,000 passengers.
We’ve launched our government’s strategic projects:
The Mexico City–Pachuca Train Line.
Passenger trains: Mexico City–Querétaro, Saltillo–Nuevo Laredo (part of the Northern Mexico–Nuevo Laredo line).
How about we name that railway line the “Gulf of Mexico Train”?
Raise your hand if you agree.
Let’s put it to a vote: who agrees that the train line from Mexico City to Nuevo Laredo should be called the Gulf of Mexico Train?
Majority approval.
We have begun construction of the Querétaro–Irapuato Train Line, part of the Mexico City–Nogales line.
We also began the Maya Freight Train, with its Progreso Port line built by military engineers.
We are also making progress on the Interoceanic Train Line, in the Oaxaca–Chiapas and Roberto Ayala–Paraíso, Tabasco sections, under the Navy’s supervision.
We are finishing the Nogales, Sonora bypass and the Insurgent Train Line from Santa Fe to Observatorio.
We’ve also begun construction on the following highways:
Cuautla–Tlapa
Tamazunchale–Huejutla
Bavispe–Nuevo Casas Grandes
Toluca–Zihuatanejo
Macuspana–Escárcega
Tierra y Libertad Circuit, Morelos
Salina Cruz–Zihuatanejo
Guaymas–Chihuahua
Tepic–Compostela
11 of 21 traffic distributors for various states are already under construction.
We are supporting the state of Guerrero in rebuilding over 68 bridges destroyed by hurricanes.
As part of the Lázaro Cárdenas del Río Plan, we are rehabilitating and expanding 820 km of roads in the Mixtec, Amuzgo, Nahua, and Tlapanec regions of Oaxaca and Guerrero.
We also funded the construction of 500 km of artisanal roads in Indigenous communities.
This year, through the reordering of water concessions—with strong support from irrigation districts and business sectors—we have reclaimed 4 billion cubic meters of water for the nation, equivalent to four times Mexico City’s total supply.
A few days ago, we sent Congress a bill amending the National Water Law to ensure that water is a human right and a national resource, not a commodity for private profit.
For the first time in history, we launched an ambitious irrigation modernization program now underway in 18 irrigation districts across 18 states.
We have also launched 20 strategic drinking water and sanitation projects, including:
Ciudad Victoria II Aqueduct
Zacualpan II (Colima)
Solís–León (Guanajuato)
El Novillo Dam (Baja California Sur)
El Tunal II Dam (Durango)
Milpillas (Zacatecas)
Paso Ancho (Oaxaca)
Integral Program for Acapulco
Water for Campeche
Dam system in Sonora
Rosarito Desalination Plant (Baja California)
La Cangrejera–Coatzacoalcos (Veracruz)
Water Program for San Luis Potosí
Water distribution networks for La Laguna
Integral Project for the Mexico City Metropolitan Area
Eastern Mexico State Zone
Protection work projects in Tabasco
River cleanups: Tula, Lerma–Santiago, and Atoyac
We are continuing the rescue of Pemex and the strengthening of the CFE.
The neoliberal governments left behind a corrupt and accursed debt, but we are moving forward with honesty and determination.
There will be no shortage of energy for national development—we are advancing energy sovereignty, efficiency, and clean energy.
In October 2024, we presented the strengthened Security and Justice Strategy, with four pillars: Addressing root causes; Consolidating the National Guard; Strengthening intelligence and investigative capacities; and Coordination across all levels of government.
The Security Cabinet meets every morning at 6:00 a.m. to assess and strengthen this strategy.
To be absolutely clear: Mexico’s peace and security policy is decided on a sovereign basis in Mexico. No one influences it—only our honesty, conviction, certainty, and perseverance.
This morning I received the latest figures through September:
In 12 months, we have reduced homicides by 32 percent—that’s 27 fewer killings per day between September 2024 and September 2025.
The reductions in some states are remarkable:
Zacatecas: 88%
Chiapas: 73%
Jalisco: 62%
Nuevo León: 61%
Guanajuato: 47%
Sonora: 46%
Puebla: 45%
Tabasco: 44%
State of Mexico: 43%
Baja California: 25%
Guerrero: 22%
A few months ago, we launched the National Strategy Against Extortion and presented a reform bill to put an end to this crime and, above all, to protect its victims.
By embracing young people, guaranteeing access to their rights and to happiness—while enforcing zero impunity— the advances will go even further.
I am confident that the new Judicial Branch will greatly assist in this effort.
I would like to sincerely thank the entire Cabinet that has accompanied me this year—especially Minister General Ricardo Trevilla Trejo and Minister Admiral Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles [6]for their professionalism, loyalty, and patriotism.
Amigas y amigos:
We will continue advancing in all the projects we have begun. We will also launch a nationwide program for pothole repair and the repaving of federal highways, inviting states and municipalities to join in.
We will continue all public work projects:
Between December 2025 and January 2026, we will inaugurate bridges, highways, and hospitals.
We will complete the Mexico City–AIFA Train and move forward with new highways, train lines, ports, rural roads, artisanal roads, schools, clinics, and healthcare centers.
One thing is clear: when there is no corruption, the money goes further.
Here’s a fact: in 2025, without raising taxes, compared to last year, we will collect an additional 500 billion pesos[7], more funds available for the people.
When we took office, we proposed the Plan Mexico, a long-term vision to strengthen domestic production and exports—to create better jobs for our people.
By 2026, some 23 Development Hubs for Wellbeing will be fully operational.
I am also confident that we will reach a good agreement with the United States and all nations regarding our trade relations.
As part of this plan, in the next few weeks we will present the prototype of the “Olinia” electric vehicle, progress on the Semiconductor Design Workshop, as well as national satellite and unmanned aerial vehicle projects— 100% made in Mexico.
This is part of an ambitious plan we’ll unveil soon, called “Mexico, a Nation of Innovation,” which includes the creation of a National Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.
Amigas y amigos:
As the first woman President of Mexico, I would like to once again affirm: We all made it!
During the neoliberal governments, models were sought in other countries because there was never faith in our own history, in our cultural greatness, or in the creative strength of our people. They wanted to impose the idea that what was ours had no value, that we had to copy everything from others.
Today, we affirm that, while we may recognize experiences from other parts of the world, our true example lies in our own history.
We are proud of the great civilizations that flourished long before the arrival of the Spaniards.
We are proud of the Indigenous women of Mexico — the pillars and guiding lights of resistance.
Of the Indigenous peoples and Afro-Mexican communities who preserve the roots and essence of who we are.
We are proud of our political history, of our heroines and heroes of Independence, the Reform, the Revolution, and of the millions who fought for the democracy and freedoms we have today.
We are proud of our women, who every day struggle and open new paths toward equality and justice.
Of our creative youth, who are building the future.
Of our elders, who, with their wisdom, teach us to walk with determination.
We are proud of our Mexican migrants, who cross borders with courage but never lose their love for Mexico.
Long live the migrant women and men!
AUDIENCE: Viva!
PRESIDENT OF MEXICO, CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM PARDO: Because our people are hardworking, resilient, supportive, creative, and generous. Because our homeland is great. And because today, more than ever, we know that sovereignty is not begged for — it is exercised with dignity, with devotion, with passion, without arrogance, with the strength of millions of Mexican women and men.
We know there is no separation between the people and the government — that prosperity is shared, or it is not prosperity; that justice must be for everyone, or it is not justice; that democracy only flourishes when the people are its protagonists; and that true freedom goes hand in hand with wellbeing.
That is why, from this historic Zócalo square, we reaffirm our commitment to the Fourth Transformation of Public Life in Mexico — a transformation that belongs to the people.
I am certain — because we have heard it in the plazas throughout the entire Republic — that we are on the right path. Here we stand, with the strength of our history, the pride of our present, and the hope of our future.
As I said from the very first moment before you: I will not fail you!
My commitment is to the people — and so it remains to give my soul, my life, and the best of myself for the well-being of the people of Mexico.
My commitment is to defend our homeland.
My commitment to you is to be a Presidenta worthy of the generosity and greatness of our history and of the people of Mexico.
Long live the dignity of the people of Mexico!
AUDIENCE: Viva!
PRESIDENT OF MEXICO, CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM PARDO: Long live a free, independent, and sovereign Mexico!
AUDIENCE: Viva!
PRESIDENT OF MEXICO, CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM PARDO: Long live Mexico forever!
AUDIENCE: Viva!
PRESIDENT OF MEXICO, CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM PARDO: Viva Mexico!
AUDIENCE: Viva!
PRESIDENT OF MEXICO, CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM PARDO: Viva Mexico!
AUDIENCE: Viva!
PRESIDENT OF MEXICO, CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM PARDO: Viva Mexico!
AUDIENCE: Viva!
[1] Secondary laws are legislation that further defines the main law.
[2] Government housing agencies
[3] Amparo is roughly equivalent to a protective injunction
[4] 88 pesos=US$4.79; 279 pesos=US$15.18; 420 pesos=US$22.86
[5] US$46.26 billion
[6] Minister of National Defense and Minister of the Navy, respectively
[7] US$27.21 billion
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