Mexico’s Obrador pushes through judicial reforms to elect judges by popular vote

A controversial judicial reform that allows Mexican voters to elect judges officially went into effect on Sunday after President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador signed the decree in a video posted on social media. Lopez Obrador has long argued that the current system is corrupt and controlled by elites, but legal experts fear that elected judges could be susceptible to pressure from the country’s powerful drug cartels.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced Sunday that he has signed controversial judicial reforms that will make Mexico the only country in the world where all judges are elected by popular vote.

The outgoing leftist leader signed the decree in a video posted on social media, calling it a “historic day.”

He was joined by President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, his longtime ally, who will replace him on October 1 after her landslide election victory in June.

Lopez Obrador had championed the constitutional changes and criticized the current legal system as “rotten,” corrupt and serving the interests of the political and economic elite.

Opponents and legal experts fear that elected judges are more vulnerable to pressure from criminals in a country where powerful drug cartels regularly use bribery and intimidation to influence officials.

Since taking office in 2018, Lopez Obrador has frequently spoken out strongly about the judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court, which has hampered some of his policies in areas such as energy and security.

(AFP)

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