In a recent statement, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar expressed concern over a proposed judicial reform in Mexico, supported by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The reform, which includes the direct election of more than 7,000 judicial positions, including judges and Supreme Court justices, is seen as a significant threat to the country’s democratic integrity.
The proposal has sparked considerable controversy and led to widespread protests among judicial employees, who began a nationwide strike this week. The Mexican Congress, dominated by the president’s party, is set to vote on the changes in September.
“With my lifelong experience and commitment to the rule of law, I see the direct election of judicial officials as a profound risk to the functioning of democracy in Mexico,” Ambassador Salazar noted in a public address.
The reform has been a source of contention in the political sphere, especially with the impending transition of presidential power to Claudia Sheinbaum, who will take office in October and has defended the initiative.
Salazar also stressed the need for safeguards in any judicial reform to prevent the judiciary from becoming vulnerable to political corruption. He stressed the importance of maintaining a strong and independent judiciary for the health of Mexico’s democracy and its economic relations, especially its trade ties with the United States, which are based on investor confidence in the Mexican legal system.
In response to concerns about the impact of the reform on financial markets, Salazar has proposed more than 100 changes to the draft, although analysts remain skeptical that such changes would fundamentally alter the core of the original proposal.
President López Obrador has defended the judicial review as essential to transforming a system that he says does not serve the public and is influenced by organized crime. The reform also suggests reducing the number of Supreme Court justices, establishing an independent administrative body, a disciplinary court and significant overhauls of the justice system to relieve pressure on the penal system.
