People’s Mañanera February 26

ByPedro Gellert Frank

Every day, President Claudia Sheinbaum gives a morning presidential press conference and Mexico Solidarity Media posts English language summaries, translated by Mexico Solidarity’s Pedro Gellert Frank. Previous press conference summaries are available here.

Sovereignty and Curbing Arms Trafficking

President Claudia Sheinbaum recalled that since the López Obrador administration, Mexico has demanded that the United States halt the illegal trafficking of firearms. She contrasted this with the administration of Felipe Calderón, when weapons were allowed to enter the country and later ended up in the hands of organized crime. Sheinbaum reiterated that if Washington truly wants to help, it must stop the flow of weapons into Mexico.

Electoral Reform: More Citizen Voting, Less Party Elites

The President clarified that the electoral reform proposal does not eliminate proportional representation nor alter the balance in the Chamber of Deputies. There will still be 500 congressional deputies, 300 elected by majority vote and 200 assigned according to the percentage of votes received by each party. The difference is that proportional representation legislators would be defined by citizens’ vote in each electoral district.

In the Senate, proportional representation seats would be eliminated since it already exists there. She denied that the goal is to create a single-party system and stated that political parties are instruments of the people, not spaces for privilege.

40-Hour Workweek Reform by Consensus

Sheinbaum noted that the reduction of the workweek was the result of agreements. It may include two days of rest or another distribution of the 40 hours and the already regulated overtime. The goal is to avoid negative economic impacts while benefiting workers and advancing toward a better distribution of wealth.

Tourism in Mexico Grows 6%, Surpassing the Global Average

Mexico posted a 6% increase in tourism in relation to 2024, above the global average of 4% and the 1% growth across the Americas.

Between January and December 2025, Mexico received 98.5 million tourists, also representing a 6% increase, bringing the country closer to the top five most visited destinations in the world. It was noted that these numbers reflect the international promotional efforts undertaken by the Mexican government.