AMLO changes choice for Mexico central bank chief

Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has nominated Victoria Rodríguez Ceja, who currently serves as undersecretary of expenditures at the ministry of finance, as the next governor of the country's central bank.

The announcement came a day after news broke out that López Obrador withdrew his nomination for Arturo Herrera, a former finance minister, as the next Banco de México chief.

In June, López Obrador had tapped Herrera to take over as central bank chief at the end of the year, when Alejandro Díaz de León concludes his term at Banco de México.

Rodríguez Ceja's designation to the role needs to be ratified by the Mexican Senate. If approved, Rodríguez Ceja will become the first woman to lead the central bank.

López Obrador assured that he will maintain the central bank's autonomy and will not interfere with the monetary authority's mandate, as markets reacted negatively to the change in the central bank chief recommendation. Rodríguez Ceja is viewed as a less familiar figure for investors and a public finance official with no monetary policy background.

"About Victoria Rodríguez, she is a responsible woman, she will act in accordance with the rules of Banco de México," El Financiero quoted the president as saying. "From the beginning, we have demonstrated with facts that we are respectful of the [central bank's] autonomy. There is not a single interference from the government, from the ministry of finance in the [central bank]'s decisions," he added.