Politics: Recent changes in key political positions imply a new Sheinbaum-AMLO power balance

MEXICO - Report 09 Feb 2026 by Guillermo Valdés and Francisco González

Recent changes—first at the Financial Intelligence Unit in early August of last year, then at the Attorney General's Office in late November, and most recently last week on Sunday, February 1st, in the coordination of the Morena's Senate Parliamentary Group—empower President Claudia Sheinbaum vis-à-vis her predecessor, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. However, while the latter has very likely conceded on these changes, he still retains significant power, which could be a factor of instability in policy decisions in the coming months.

This new relative empowerment of President Sheinbaum does not imply a policy shift on important issues because although her administration has introduced some changes in a few policies (especially regarding security and economic growth), she shares and agrees on the essentials of AMLO's project. In this sense, it is relevant to recall that she achieved the approval of the judicial reform proposed in the previous administration and will very likely impose the electoral reform; she has maintained the preeminence of Pemex and CFE, as well as a social policy based on monetary transfers rather than institution-building and public infrastructure development that guarantees social rights and access to basic services, among other continuity policies. However, the recent changes in key political positions do give President Sheinbaum an advantage in influencing the negotiation of candidacies within her own party for the 2027 midterm elections.

This Political Outlook analyzes the recent changes in key positions and their implications in the coming months.

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