By MARK LORENZANA
Mexico’s Secretary of Economy Tatiana Clouthier has resigned from her post, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) announced on the morning of Thursday, Oct. 6, in his daily press conference.
“I regret to inform you that I received a letter from Tatiana, in which she tells me that she wants to resign from her post, but not from the fight for transformation, and we respect her decision,” López Obrador said. “We insisted that she stay, but she is a woman with convictions.”
Clouthier then took the podium and addressed the journalists who were present at the National Palace.
“I had to play in the big leagues and one must know when to retire. I will follow the team with encouragement,” she said.
Within 24 hours, AMLO announced that Raquel Buenrostro, head of the Tax Administration Service (SAT), would replace Clouthier in the post.
Clouthier did not give any reason for her resignation. “The only thing that comes out of my mouth and my heart is thank you, for teaching me to appreciate difference as a space of respect, for letting me put my skills at the service of the country,” said Clouthier. “This week I had to get up three times in the morning, and I couldn’t anymore.”
Her resignation comes amid consultations between the United States and Mexico on the nation’s energy policy after completing the minimum period required for talks under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), instead of going directly to an arbitration. Mexico, the United States and Canada decided to continue consultations to determine whether or not the establishment of a dispute-settlement panel in the USMCA energy case is required.
López Obrador, on Dec. 7, 2020, appointed Clouthier — who had previously worked for AMLO as his campaign manager — to the post of Secretary of Economy, replacing Graciela Márquez Colín. Clouthier likewise served as a deputy under the conservative National Action Party (PAN) from 1991 to 1994, and from 2003 to 2005. She later left the PAN and chose to support López Obrador during his 2018 presidential campaign.