Mexico City, Oct 2 (IANS): Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo has been sworn in as Mexico's first woman serving the presidency during a solemn ceremony in Congress.

"I swear to uphold and enforce the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States ... and to loyally and patriotically carry out the office of president of the republic that the people have conferred upon me," Sheinbaum said with her hand raised in a sign of oath.

Sheinbaum, 62, won the presidential elections in June with a large majority of the votes to become the first woman to assume the office.

In her first message to the nation as president, Sheinbaum said the Latin American country has entered an era of change, in which women are protagonists, Xinhua news agency reported.

Her administration, she said, will continue to deepen the reform process begun by her predecessor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador as part of Mexico's so-called Fourth Transformation, which aims to promote self-determination and development by focusing on helping to lift people out of poverty.

In her speech, which was interrupted by applauses and cheers on several occasions, Sheinbaum praised Lopez Obrador's political legacy, describing the former president as a true democrat and patriot in the tradition of the country's great national heroes.

Sheinbaum, who takes office for the 2024-2030 term, has unveiled a 17-point government plan that prioritizes the "republican austerity" of her predecessor, who rejected the lavish lifestyle and corruption of former government officials, as well as strengthening welfare programs and education.

The plan also strengthens rights regarding gender diversity and accelerates energy transition for development.

In foreign policy, it aims to maintain bilateral trade agreements and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on free trade, promoting investment in the country.