On 2 June, Mexicans went to the polls to elect a new president, all congressional seats, and nearly 20,000 state-level positions (including eight governorships) in its largest-ever election. Former Mexico City Head of Government, Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum (Morena, backed by the “Let’s Keep Making History” coalition), secured over 60% of the vote to become Mexico’s first female president.In Congress, Morena and its allied parties (the Green and Labor parties) will hold a qualified majority in the Chamber of Deputies with an estimated 365 seats out of 500. Meanwhile, Morena secured 83 out of 128 seats in the Senate, falling only two seats short of a qualified majority. However, Morena should be able to obtain the necessary support to approve significant constitutional reforms, including an overhaul of the judicial system, without much debate or negotiation.
Sheinbaum’s tech plan
As mentioned in a previous Access Alert, President-elect Sheinbaum has outlined 100 government commitments, including several proposals related to the tech sector. Key insights into the president-elect’s digital agenda include:- Digital Transformation: DX has been at the forefront of President-elect Sheinbaum’s policy agenda. As Mexico City Mayor, she unveiled a platform called “Llave CDMX”, which serves as single-point digital access to hundreds of public services. Sheinbaum plans to expand this platform nationwide. Moreover, she intends to design a Digital Transformation Policy and promote a so-called “software factory” to support the software needs of the government, as was done in Mexico City.
- Telecommunications: Sheinbaum has disclosed her plans to develop a spectrum use policy for the next 20 years, ensuring competition, coverage, quality, and cost. This is of particular interest to industry players in the telecommunications sector, given concerns mainly from mobile operators over high spectrum costs in Mexico. However, it appears unlikely that the incoming administration will reduce spectrum costs, especially after ICT advisors to the president-elect claimed that the main challenge for spectrum deployment is not high costs but the lack of commitment from some companies. This is reinforced by the financial commitment of the new government to reduce the public debt.
- Connectivity: Sheinbaum has already stated her commitment to the public provision of the internet, which encompasses continuing with the Internet Para Todos project and supporting Altán-Red Compartida. She has proposed implementing a new geostationary satellite to maintain one of Mexico’s orbital positions and offer internet services. This may result in stronger direct participation by the government in the retail sector, especially in non-served areas, but without excluding other parts of the country.