U.S. ambassador Ken Salazar warned on Thursday that a judicial reform proposed by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will “create turbulence” in the country’s economy in the coming years.
The controversial reform, set for a congressional vote in September, includes a provision requiring judges to be elected by popular vote. Lopez Obrador has said the reform is needed to combat judicial corruption.
However, Salazar said that the proposed reform will not address judicial corruption in Mexico or strengthen its judicial branch, but instead poses “a major risk” to the country’s democracy.
Salazar warned that the changes will allow drug cartels to exploit the country’s judiciary and put the U.S.–Mexico trade relations in jeopardy, which he said “relies on investors’ confidence in Mexico’s legal framework.”
“Direct elections would also make it easier for cartels and other bad actors to take advantage of politically motivated and inexperienced judges,” he stated.
Salazar said the judicial branch in Mexico needs “capable judges” to handle complex litigation for extraditions, trade disputes, and other issues.
But the proposal will remove the necessary qualifications for judges, allowing those with only a few years of legal experience to become judges through popular vote, he added.
“Any judicial reform should have the right kinds of safeguards that will ensure the judicial branch will be strengthened and not subject to the corruption of politics,” Salazar stated.
Judges and magistrates went on a strike this week to protest the judicial reform. They argued that the reform will end merit-based career paths and make the judiciary more vulnerable to outside influence.
Juana Fuentes, leader of the union for Mexico’s judges and magistrates, said the strike would continue until the proposal was scrapped, though the judiciary would still take on urgent cases.
“We are heading towards an unprecedented constitutional crisis, a crisis that, if not stopped, will leave deep scars in our social fabric,” Fuentes told reporters on Wednesday.
Lopez Obrador said during a press conference that he will remain firm on his proposal, and that the strike will not result in any changes. His term as president is set to end next month, and he will be succeeded by President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum.
The Mexican peso fell more than 2 percent on Wednesday and the Mexican stock market declined by 0.6 percent following the strike.
