Political career
National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples
He entered public service during the administration of President Vicente Fox who formed his presidential cabinet using talent scouts. Initially she was in charge of the Office for the Development of Indigenous Peoples of the Presidency of the Republic and, later, she achieved the formal creation of the National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples, today the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples, of which she was its first general director.[16].
Additionally, a constitutional reform was approved to recognize and protect the rights and culture of indigenous peoples. Likewise, she was one of the promoters of the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of the United Nations, which was signed in 2007.[17].
Created a fund and program for the construction of infrastructure for indigenous peoples and communities. Among its results, electrification stands out in communities of the Lacandona Jungle, the Sierra Tarahumara, the Tepehuana region in Durango and in the Cora – Huichol of Nayarit and Jalisco. He also achieved the introduction of drinking water networks in Los Altos de Chiapas, a region severely affected by trachoma, as well as drinking water systems in indigenous towns in the states of Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí, Puebla and Veracruz.[18].
In road infrastructure, he achieved the construction of the Tlapa-Marquelia and Tlapa-Metlatónoc highway, in Guerrero; the Southern Border, in Chiapas; Xochiapa-Zacatepec de Bravo, in the Sierra Negra of Puebla; Ruiz-Zacatecas; the Durango-Tepic, Mezquital section; Tecomaztlahuaca- Coicoyán de las Flores; San Ildefonso Sola de Vega - Santa Cruz Zenzontepec, and Tezoatlán de Segura y Luna-San Martín Itunyoso, Oaxaca; and the construction of the El Estero vehicular bridge, in San Francisco del Mar.[19].
In addition, it remodeled the indigenous school shelters, promoted comprehensive development with productive programs, among which the creation of the productive organization program for indigenous women stands out, built the Indigenous Women's Houses for training in women's rights and as shelters against domestic violence, opened ten intercultural universities, including those located in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, and in San Felipe del Progreso, State of Mexico, created the National Institute of Indigenous Languages.[20].
Candidate for governor of Hidalgo
In the 2010 Hidalgo state elections, she was a candidate for governor of the state for the "Hidalgo nos une" coalition, made up of the National Action Party (PAN), the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), the Labor Party "Partido del Trabajo (Mexico)") (PT) and Convergencia "Convergencia (political party)").[21] Gálvez came in second place, with 47% of the votes for her. please.[22].
Delegation Head in Miguel Hidalgo
In the 2015 Federal District elections, she was a candidate for head of the Miguel Hidalgo delegation "Miguel Hidalgo (Mexico City)") for the National Action Party. He won the elections with 32% of the votes in his favor.[23] He held office from October 1, 2015 to March 15, 2018.[24].
He led a profound administrative restructuring through which he reduced bureaucracy and eliminated six of nine general directorates. It also implied the disappearance of 50 percent of the obsolete vehicle fleet, which was later renewed, the elimination of temporary personnel contracts, reinforcing the operational structure of the delegation.[25].
It innovated in technology to georeference hydraulic installations, trees, sewage and public furniture, in order to make maintenance more efficient. He also led a fight against corruption in real estate matters. It even began the demolition of 18 irregular properties and carried out administrative procedures to revoke the construction licenses of another 56 properties.[26].
Replaced 100 percent of lamps with LED technology to reduce energy costs and improve lighting. To combat insecurity, he installed 12 thousand lamps on the facades of homes. She was also a promoter of the recharge of aquifers through water gardens and preventive maintenance in urban services, becoming the national pioneer in rainwater infiltration systems for recycling and the construction of green sidewalks.[27].
He took the then delegation from third to first place in sports competitions, through scholarships and the improvement of sports facilities. He launched various projects to generate savings for the social sector and urban services.[28].
His administration certified more than 6 thousand people in job skills that allowed them to get a better job. Women were supported with the possibility of studying a technical career at the Universidad Iberoamericana.[29].
When requesting leave from her position as head of the delegation, she put her apartment up for sale to donate the profits to the Salesian Institute.[30].
Senator of the Republic
In the 2018 federal elections, she participated as a candidate for Senator of the Republic for Mexico City on a ticket with Emilio Álvarez Icaza in Por México to the Front made up of the PAN, MC and PRD. Additionally, she was a candidate for Senator on the proportional representation list of the Party of the Democratic Revolution, a position for which she was elected.
In the Senate she is president of the Indigenous Affairs Commission, secretary of the Anti-Corruption, Transparency and Citizen Participation Commission and member of the Metropolitan Zones and Mobility commissions; Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change; of Energy; of Agrarian Reform; and the Special Commission to monitor the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Mexico.[3].
In its legislative activities, it has promoted diverse issues through legal and constitutional reform initiatives, among which the following stand out: recognition of the labor rights of domestic workers and the rights of indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples and communities, establishment of civic justice for the prevention of crime, reduction of the carbon footprint through the use of clean energy, the use of technologies for the administration of justice, punishment for transmitting videos of sexual content, elimination of forced labor, among others. others.[31].
She has been appointed by the Senate to represent the Congress of the Union before the Parliamentary Front against Hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Parliamentary Summit against Hunger and Malnutrition and the United Nations Conference on Climate Change.[32].
In 2021, faced with Morena's attempt to leave the Party of the Democratic Revolution out of the Permanent Commission "Permanent Commission (Mexico)" of the Congress of the Union, he proposed joining the PRD bench to guarantee plurality in the legislative institution. However, that same day, he announced that his change would not be necessary, because the PRD's space in the Permanent Commission was respected.[33].
She has been one of the harshest opponents of President López Obrador's reforms, although she did support the initiative so that social programs were established in the Constitution.[34].
Among the reforms that he voted against were the energy reform, arguing that this initiative privileged polluting energies instead of promoting clean energies. He also opposed the electoral reform because, in his words, it was a democratic setback because it would allow fraudulent elections and a weak electoral authority, thus baptizing the initiative as the “Jurassic Plan” because it would allow the return of political figures of yesteryear.[35].
During a complicated discussion in the Senate due to the refusal of Morena legislators to appoint the commissioners of the National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data to render it inoperative, the President of the Senate decided to change the venue for the discussion with the aim that the opposition senators did not attend and thus could vote on the laws that they decided. Upon learning this, he decided to travel by bicycle to the new venue since vehicle access was impossible due to a concert in the zócalo. Upon arrival, he chained himself to the chair of the President of the Senate to avoid the session, a task that he achieved and forced the pro-government legislators to carry out the discussion in the patio of the old Casona de Xicoténcatl, this argument being that they met in the patio and not in the plenary session, one of the arguments by which the Supreme Court of Justice analyzes the annulment of the laws approved by the Morenistas.[36].
Presidential candidacy
During 2022, some surveys placed her as the leader in electoral preferences for the head of government of Mexico City and, in June of that year, she announced her desire to be a candidate.[51] Her position towards the 2024 local elections was maintained and she consolidated herself as the preferred and most competitive option of the opposition to contest the position.[52] However, at the beginning of 2023, her name began to be mentioned as a possible candidate for the presidency of Mexico City. the republic, however she denied this possibility[53] until citizen enthusiasm increased and she agreed to analyze the possibility to announce her decision once the method by which the candidacy would be decided was known.[54][55].
On June 27, 2023, she announced that she will seek to be the next President of Mexico under the motto "Mexico deserves more." She did so through a video published on her social networks in which she comments on part of her biography as a gelatin seller during her childhood to help her family and as a UNAM scholarship recipient.[56][57] The announcement was widely viral on social networks, quickly becoming a trend on Twitter.[58] The first polls after her announcement already placed her in the first places of preference for the presidential candidacy of the opposition front.[59][60] The day after her announcement, and the next Since the collection of signatures of support is one of the first requirements to be the representative of the opposition bloc, she launched a platform for the registration of volunteers to help her obtain the signatures since she says she does not have the resources or party structures to obtain them.[61][62].
After participating in the internal process of the Broad Front,[63] on February 20, 2024, he registered his candidacy to compete in the 2024 presidential elections,[64]for the Fuerza y Corazón por México coalition, made up of the National Action Party (PAN), the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD).[1][2]
It is important to highlight that Gálvez lost in the electoral contest for the presidency of Mexico. The winner was Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.