Mexican president names friend as new senior minister

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador poses for a photo with outgoing Interior Minister Olga Sanchez Cordero and newly appointed Interior Minister Adan Lopez during a meeting at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico August 26, 2021. Mexico's Presidency/Handout via REUTERS

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - In a major cabinet shakeup in Mexico, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Thursday tapped a friend, the governor of his home state of Tabasco, Adan Lopez, as interior minister, replacing the outgoing Olga Sanchez.

Sanchez, who was the first woman to occupy the role, will return to her prior post as a lawmaker in the Senate, which she left after Lopez Obrador took office in 2018.