MEXICO CITY: Lawmakers in Mexico on Wednesday approved controversial reforms that will make it the first country to allow voters to elect all judges, hours after protesters stormed the Senate to disrupt debate. Outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has pushed hard for constitutional changes and criticized the current judicial system as “rotten”, corrupt and serving the interests of the political and economic elite. But opponents and legal experts warn that elected judges could be more vulnerable to pressure from criminals in a country where powerful drug cartels regularly use bribery and intimidation to influence officials. The left-wing leader said the reforms – which have sparked street protests, diplomatic tensions and investor fears – would be an “example to the world”. “It is very important to end corruption and impunity. We will make great progress when it is the people of Mexico who freely choose judges, judges and judges,” the 70-year-old told a news conference. “Judges, with honorable exceptions … are in the service of a voracious minority committed to plundering the country,” he added. Since taking office in 2018, Lopez Obrador has frequently clashed with the judiciary — particularly the Supreme Court, which has blocked some of his policies in areas such as energy and security. The judiciary reform was approved by the Senate in the early hours of the morning by a vote of 86 to 41, giving it the two-thirds majority needed to amend the constitution in the ruling coalition’s upper house. Lawmakers were forced to suspend debate and move elsewhere after protesters stormed the upper chamber and entered the chamber chanting “The Judiciary will not fall”. Lopez Obrador, who wanted the bill passed before close ally Claudia Sheinbaum replaces him on Oct. 1, accused the protesters of protecting the interests of the political elite. The reforms have the full support of Sheinbaum, who said Wednesday they would strengthen the court system. “The regime of corruption and privilege is increasingly becoming a thing of the past,” she wrote on the X social network. The plan, which has already cleared the House, must now be approved by 17 of the 32 state congresses — considered a formality given the political dominance of the ruling coalition — before the president can sign it. Opponents, who accuse Lopez Obrador of overseeing a trend toward democratic descent, staged a series of protests against the plan, which would also elect the Supreme Court and other high-level judges by popular vote. Around 1,600 judges would have to run for office in 2025 or 2027. “This does not exist in any other country,” Margaret Satterthwaite, the UN’s special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, told AFP before the vote. “Without strong safeguards against the infiltration of organized crime (in the judicial selection process), the electoral system can become vulnerable to such powerful forces,” she warned. Protesters, including court staff and law students, were back on the streets on Wednesday, hours after the reforms were passed. “We don’t want to give up,” said Mario Dominguez, a judge in the western state of Jalisco. In an unusual public warning, Supreme Court Chief Justice Norma Pina said elected judges could become vulnerable to pressure from criminal groups. “Demolition of justice is not the way forward,” she said in a video released on Sunday. The United States, Mexico’s main trading partner, has warned that the reforms would jeopardize a relationship that depends on investor confidence in Mexico’s legal framework. The changes could pose a “great risk” to Mexican democracy and allow criminals to take advantage of “politically motivated and inexperienced judges,” US Ambassador Ken Salazar said last month. Human Rights Watch urged lawmakers to reject what it called “dangerous proposals,” saying they would “seriously undermine judicial independence and violate international human rights standards.” Financial market analysts say investor concerns over the reforms have contributed to a sharp decline in the value of the Mexican peso, which has hit a two-year low against the dollar.
