MEXICO'S SHEINBAUM TAPS HARFUCH AS SECURITY MINISTER IN BID TO TACKLE CRIME

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexican President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday named Omar Garcia Harfuch to be her security minister in a bid to repeat the successes in fighting crime she had as mayor of Mexico City.

Harfuch, who served as Sheinbaum's security chief when she ran the capital from 2018 to 2023, was credited with halving the homicide rate in the city.

In 2020, Harfuch survived an assassination attempt in which he was shot in the shoulder, collarbone and knee.

"We will strengthen the intelligence and investigative capabilities of the Mexican state," Harfuch said in a brief speech after being nominated.

He also vowed to further empower the National Guard, a federal security force created by outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador which has been criticized for failing to tackle organized crime.

More than 186,000 people have been murdered during the term of Lopez Obrador, making it the bloodiest of any presidency on record, as drug-related violence continues to plague the country. The government has, however, pointed to a decline in the homicide rate in the past couple of years.

Before the June 2 election, which Sheinbaum won by a landslide, her advisors said she wants to reduce by 2027 Mexico's murder rate from 23.3 homicides for every 100,000 residents to around 19.4 per 100,000 - putting it on par with Brazil.

To achieve this, her advisors said she plans to double the number of federal investigators to 8,000, increase the number of National Guard troops to 150,000 from around 120,000, decrease impunity through a judicial reform, and create youth education and community programs.

On Thursday, Sheinbaum also named current Security Minister Rosa Rodriguez to be her interior minister, while current head of the ruling party Morena, Mario Delgado, was named as her education minister.

Ariadna Montiel will continue as wellbeing minister, Sheinbaum announced.

Sheinbaum takes office on Oct. 1.

(Reporting by Adriana Barrera and Anthony Esposito; additional reporting by Diego Ore, Writing by Stephen Eisenhammer; Editing by Diane Craft)

2024-07-04T19:39:12Z dg43tfdfdgfd