Legal Adviser of Mexican President Sheinbaum appointed as new attorney general

MEXICO CITY Ernestina Godoy, who has long served as a legal adviser to President Claudia Sheinbaum, was officially confirmed by the Mexican Senate on Wednesday as the nations new attorney general. Her nomination follows the resignation of Alejandro Gertz Manero last Friday, after which Godoy had temporarily assumed the role.

Godoy has been advising President Sheinbaum since she assumed office in October 2024 and previously served as Mexico Citys prosecutor during Sheinbaums tenure as mayor. Earlier on Wednesday, Sheinbaum highlighted that her shortlist of candidates for the position consisted entirely of women. Her party, Morena, maintains a majority in the Senate.

Gertz Manero, 86, who had maintained a low public profile despite holding various public security roles since the 1970s, stepped down to accept an ambassadorial role, though the administration has not disclosed the destination. Appointed in January 2019, he was Mexicos first attorney general intended to operate independently of political influence, but his tenure was often criticized for close connections to former President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador.

Author: Natalie Monroe