The judicial system must not fall! Stop the dictator!
Hundreds of opponents to the legislative proposal stormed the senate in Mexico City during the final debate on the issue. After a pause, the voting resumed in an older senate building.
The reform, which was approved with a vote of 86–41, means that judges in both higher courts and at the local level will be elected by the people from now on.
Outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has pushed for the change to be implemented before his successor, close ally Claudia Sheinbaum, takes over on October 1. The President has justified the change by saying that the current judicial system only serves the interests of the political and economic elite.
Critics argue that the reform threatens democracy and undermines the independence of the judiciary, as criminals may more easily be able to blackmail elected judges. In Mexico, powerful drug cartels often use bribes and threats to gain influence in politics and the judiciary.
Human Rights Watch has warned that the reform "will seriously undermine the independence of the judiciary".
