CIVICUS discusses constitutional amendments affecting the judiciary in Mexico with Carlos Pelayo Moller, constitutional lawyer, human rights expert and Doctor of Laws from the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Towards the end of his term in office, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador pushed through a package of constitutional amendments, with the chief change being the election of judges by popular vote. The proposal, approved on 15 September, sparked major protests by judges and judicial staff and caused diplomatic tensions with the USA. Its implementation remains in the hands of the new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, who represents the same party as her predecessor. The government argues the new measures will help fight corruption, but critics say it will consolidate presidential power and undermine judicial independence.
