Mexican President appoints new FM

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has announced the appointment of Alicia Barcena as his new Foreign Minister, replacing Marcelo Ebrard, who resigned to run for president. “She has a very extensive career in the diplomatic field,” Lopez Obrador said during his daily press conference. A trained biologist with a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University, Barcena served for nearly 14 years as executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean from 2008 to 2022, reports Xinhua news agency. She has been Mexico’s Ambassador to Chile since last September. Lopez Obrador said it would be at least 10 days before Barcena takes over the new role. Ebrard will now seek the presidential candidacy of the ruling National Regeneration Movement for the 2024 general elections.