President Claudia Sheinbaum said that 36 years of successive governments impoverished Mexico despite repeated promises of national development [1].
The critique serves to justify the current administration's welfare agenda by framing it as a necessary correction to decades of systemic economic failure.
Speaking at a Mujeres Bienestar event in Zacatecas, Sheinbaum detailed a legacy of economic mismanagement spanning six sexenios [2]. She said that these 36 years were characterized by the privatization of public companies [2]. According to the president, these policies contributed to a sharp concentration of wealth among a small elite [1].
Sheinbaum said that the number of millionaire families from Mexico recognized worldwide increased from one to 40 [3]. This rise in extreme wealth occurred while the broader population struggled with limited economic growth and stagnant earnings [1].
As part of her critique, Sheinbaum said the minimum wage remained stagnant until 2018 [4]. This lack of wage growth, she said, prevented millions of workers from escaping poverty while the country's assets were sold to private interests [2].
The president used the May 31, 2026, gathering to contrast these past policies with her government's current focus on social programs [5]. By highlighting the failure of previous development models, Sheinbaum positioned her welfare initiatives as the primary tool for redistributing wealth and supporting vulnerable populations, particularly women [1].
Sheinbaum said the previous administrations focused on a model that benefited the few at the expense of the many [3]. The current administration aims to reverse this trend through direct support and public investment [1].
“36 years of successive governments impoverished Mexico despite repeated promises of national development”
Sheinbaum's rhetoric reinforces a political shift toward state-led welfare and a rejection of neoliberal economic policies. By linking the rise of Mexico's ultra-wealthy to the privatization of public assets, she is building a moral and political mandate to expand social spending and potentially increase oversight or intervention in private sectors.
