By THE PULSE NEWS MEXICO STAFF

Graciela Márquez Colín, Mexico’s former secretary of economy, will replace Julio Santaella as the head of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) as of Jan. 1, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) announced Wednesday, Dec. 15.

Márquez Colín will replace Julio Santaella.

“Being the first woman in the head of the Inegi encourages me to continue building a more egalitarian and inclusive society,” Márquez Colín said in a tweet.

“Hand-in-hand with the human capital that makes up Inegi, I will lead the work to continue with the task of providing society and the state with valuable information generated with the highest standards.”

López Obrador announced the appointment of Márquez Colín during his press conference on Wednesday, although she will need to be confirmed by the Mexican Senate-

Márquez Colín has been vice president of the Inegi governing board since January of this year.

During his term, Santaella carried out the economic censuses in 2019 and the population and housing censuses in 2020.

He also actively opposed some decisions of  the AMLO administration, such as republican austerity and the Public Servants’ Remuneration Law, which stated that no public official could earn more than the president.

Márquez Colín has a degree in economics from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and a master’s degree from the Colegio de México.

She also has a Ph.D. in economic history from Harvard University.

She is a member of the National System of Researchers and is the author of several theses on history and fiscal and commercial policy, industrialization, inequality and comparative economic development