Australian National Review – US ambassador warns Mexican judicial reform proposal will cause ‘turbulence’

The U.S. ambassador to Mexico said the proposed justice reform will jeopardize U.S.-Mexico trade relations.

U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar warned Thursday that a judicial reform proposed by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador will cause “turbulence” in the country’s economy in the coming years.

The controversial reform, which will be put to a vote in Congress in September, includes a provision that would require judges to be elected by popular vote. Lopez Obrador has said the reform is needed to combat judicial corruption.

However, Salazar said the proposed reform will not address legal corruption in Mexico or strengthen the judiciary, but instead poses a “great risk” to the country’s democracy.

“It would also weaken efforts to achieve North American economic integration and would create unrest as the debate over direct elections continues for years to come,” the US envoy said in a statement.

Salazar warned that the changes will allow drug cartels to exploit the country’s judiciary and jeopardize U.S.-Mexico trade relations, which he said “depend on investor confidence in Mexico’s legal framework.”

“Direct elections would also make it easier for cartels and other bad actors to take advantage of politically motivated and inexperienced judges,” he said.

Salazar said Mexico’s judiciary needs “competent judges” to handle complex cases involving extraditions, trade disputes and other issues.

But the proposal would abolish the qualification requirements for judges, allowing people with only a few years of legal experience to become judges through a popular election, he added.

“Any reform of the judiciary should include appropriate safeguards to ensure that the judiciary is strengthened and not subject to political corruption,” Salazar said.

Judges and magistrates went on strike this week to protest the reform of the judiciary, arguing that the reform will end merit-based career paths and make the judiciary more vulnerable to outside influences.

Juana Fuentes, leader of the union for Mexican judges and magistrates, said the strike would continue until the proposal was withdrawn, but the judiciary would still handle urgent cases.

“We are heading towards an unprecedented constitutional crisis, a crisis that, if left unfinished, will leave deep scars in our social fabric,” Fuentes told reporters on Wednesday.

Lopez Obrador said at a news conference that he remains steadfast in his proposal and that the strike will not lead to changes. His term as president ends next month and he will be succeeded by President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum.

The Mexican peso fell more than 2 percent on Wednesday and the Mexican stock market fell 0.6 percent after the strike.

Reuters contributed to this report.