MEXICO CITY, Dec 7, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Hundreds of thousands of people gathered on Saturday in Mexico's capital to support President Claudia Sheinbaum, as the leader sought to demonstrate her continued popularity following a month of political pushback and major protests.

"Let no one be mistaken," Sheinbaum told the huge crowd, many of whom had arrived by bus from across the country. "The vast majority of young people support the transformation" of public life in Mexico, she stressed.

The killing of mayor Carlos Manzo in restive Michoacan state had sparked two days of demonstrations in November, with protesters setting fire to public buildings.

Weeks later thousands marched through the streets of Mexico City to protest drug violence and the government's security policies. That was followed by the abrupt departure of the country's attorney general, Alejandro Gertz, in December over reported disagreements with Sheinbaum's administration on crime policy.

At the rally Saturday in Mexico City's main square, 24-year-old Jose Perez, a craftsman of Otomi descent, said he came out to support Sheinbaum because he feels Indigenous people "are more visible" under her government.

Authorities estimated that around 600,000 people attended.

Sheinbaum took office in 2024 following the six-year tenure of her predecessor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, with both leaders representing the left-wing Morena party.

Though Sheinbaum has earned high approval ratings in her first year of power, they dipped slightly in recent months, easing from 74 percent in October to 71 percent in early December, according to the Polls MX survey summary.

- 'Reshape the narrative' -

Analysts told AFP the president faces scrutiny not only from her political opponents and members of the public, but from within her own party.

The rally is an "attempt at internal support, to reshape the narrative, to call for unity," said political analyst Pablo Majluf.

Political columnist Hernan Gomez Bruera told AFP that Sheinbaum is "an incredibly efficient president" who likes to be in control and demands a lot from her team. But she is also "very thin-skinned" and "has difficulty dealing with dissent," he added.

Despite a recent slight slip in poll numbers, the leftist leader, who is Mexico's first woman president, is still benefiting from a decline in poverty levels that began under her predecessor.

Sheinbaum has also won praise among her supporters for keeping at bay US President Donald Trump's threats of high trade tariffs and military action on Mexican soil against drug cartels.

Sheinbaum met with Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Washington on Friday to discuss trade on the sidelines of the draw for the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by all three countries.

She said on X following the meeting that the three nations maintain a "very good relationship."