Mexico president says to present constitutional reform for election of judges, magistrates

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks during a press conference at the Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection in Mexico City, Mexico March 9, 2023. REUTERS/Henry Romero/File Photo

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Wednesday he would present a constitutional reform to have judges and magistrates elected by the people.

Lopez Obrador has lashed out against the judiciary in recent days after an electoral reform, which would shrink the country’s elections authority, was partially struck down by the Supreme Court.

On Wednesday, Lopez Obrador slammed the judiciary as representing the interests of the country’s conservative bloc. The day before, had called them “rotten” and without “remedy.”

The constitutional reform – which would require approval in Congress by a two-thirds majority – will “end the control of those at the top once and for all, so that it’s the people of Mexico who rule and govern,” Lopez Obrador said in a regular news conference.

Lopez Obrador’s ruling MORENA party does not currently have the votes needed to pass a constitutional reform.

The president said Tuesday he would wait until September 2024 to send a series of constitutional reforms, appearing to urge voters to back his coalition in upcoming elections.

On Monday, Mexico’s Supreme Court struck down part of a Lopez Obrador-backed electoral reform, a measure which curbed elections body INE’s ability to police political communications.

Critics have warned the reform will weaken democracy ahead of the elections. The president has often attacked the INE, saying it allowed voter fraud to rob him of two elections.

Source: Investing.com