Claudia Sheinbaum will be sworn in on Tuesday as Mexico’s first female president in more than 200 years of independence.

Claudia Sheinbaum, a 62-year-old scientist turned politician, will lead Mexico against the backdrop of several immediate challenges, including continued high levels of violence, a sluggish economy and damage from Hurricane Acapulco.

Sheinbaum, dubbed ‘Mexico’s Merkel’, won June’s election by a wide margin with nearly 60 per cent of the vote, largely due to the popularity of her political mentor, former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.