Mexico suspends ties with US, Canadian embassies over concerns about justice reform

Written by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador has ended ties with the US and Canadian embassies after their ambassadors expressed concerns about his proposal for judicial reform.

Lopez Obrador said Tuesday that embassies will have to respect Mexico’s sovereignty to restore relations. He did not elaborate on the possible effect of the pause.

“They must learn to respect Mexico’s sovereignty,”Lopez Obrador said during a press conference on Tuesday. He noted that the pause was with the embassies and not with the countries.

The U.S. and Canadian embassies in Mexico had not responded to The Epoch Times’ requests for comment as of publication.

The Mexican president’s comments came a day after lawmakers in the lower house of Mexico’s Congress passed a bill to reform the judiciary, clearing the way for approval when the newly elected Congress takes office in September.

The reform bill includes a provision that would require judges to be elected by popular vote. The Mexican president has said the reform is needed to combat judicial corruption.

Lopez Obrador earlier accused US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar of interfering in his country’s internal affairs after Salazar said the reform posed a “great risk” to Mexican democracy.

Salazar said in an Aug. 22 statement that the changes would allow drug cartels to exploit Mexico’s judiciary and jeopardize U.S.-Mexico trade relations, which he said “depend on investor confidence in Mexico’s legal framework.”

The U.S. envoy said Mexico’s judiciary needs “competent judges” to handle complex cases involving extradition, trade disputes and other issues.

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

Salazar then mentioned on X that he was open to dialogue with the Mexican government and to exchanging views on different legal models. He also said said He has “the utmost respect for the sovereignty of Mexico.”

Canadian Ambassador to Mexico Graeme Clark said last week that Mexico’s judicial reform proposal has raised concerns among investors.

“My investors are concerned, they want stability, they want a legal system that works when there are problems,” Clark said at an event last week.

Judges and magistrates in Mexico have gone on strike to protest the proposal, arguing that the reform would end merit-based career paths and make the judiciary more vulnerable to outside influence.

Lopez Obrador said the strike would not bring about any changes. His term as president ends next month, when he will be succeeded by Claudia Sheinbaum.

Reuters contributed to this report.