Office of the Mexican President

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Secretary of Finance Arturo Herrera

MEXICO CITY — On Tuesday, just seven months after taking oath, Mexico’s president was surprised by the resignation of the finance secretary, who slammed the administration on his way out. 

In his resignation letter, Mexico’s former Secretary of Finance and Public Credit Carlos Urzúa thanked President Andrés Manuel López Obrador — but criticized his administration.

The letter suggests that the government is making decisions affected by political extremism and without the proper information.

Urzúa also wrote that unprepared officials got their positions through favoritism.

López Obrador disdained Urzúa’s criticisms and said his government will keep pushing for changes in economic policies. The president said: “you can’t put new wine in old bottles.”

López Obrador named former undersecretary of Finance Arturo Herrera as Urzúa’s replacement. Herrera is currently an NYU doctoral candidate and worked with López Obrador in the past, when AMLO was Mexico City's mayor.