Mexico’s Senate Starts Debating AMLO’s Judicial Overhaul Plan

(Bloomberg) -- President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s proposal to overhaul Mexico’s judiciary is now being discussed by senators, seen as the main obstacle for the approval of a plan that many consider a threat to democracy.  

Lawmakers started debating the bill, which establishes that all of the country’s judges must be elected by popular vote, around 3 p.m. on Tuesday in Mexico City. Senate President Gerardo Fernández Noroña said the discussion could take more than 30 hours. 

The ruling Morena party and its allies are only one vote shy of reaching the two-thirds majority required to approve a constitutional reform. 

Government allies seemed to be moving to obtain that majority: one opposition senator requested a leave of absence for health reasons and was replaced by his deputy, whose position on the matter is unclear. Another opposition senator could not be reached by his colleagues, who claimed he and his father had been arrested. The leader of Morena in the Senate, Adan Augusto Lopez, dismissed the allegations, saying both were fine.

‘They’re Pressuring Us’

If only one opposition senator misses the debate, Morena could reach the majority needed to pass the bill that has been pushed through by AMLO, as the nation’s president is known, in the final 30 days of his mandate.

“We’re not going to support this reform, which is a madness that destroys the judicial system in the country,” Senator Alejandro Moreno, head of the opposition PRI party told reporters before the debate started. “They’re pressuring us, but we stand firm against the reform.” 

If it’s approved in the Senate, the plan must then receive the backing of state legislatures — most of them controlled by Morena.

AMLO’s proposal, which was comfortably approved by the lower house last week, seeks to elect approximately half of Mexico’s federal judges by popular vote in 2025, including all Supreme Court justices. The other half would be replaced in 2027, when electoral court judges are expected to be elected.

The plan is a priority for the outgoing president, who says it will root out judicial corruption. But it has drawn backlash from judges, who have gone on strike against it, as well as the Mexican opposition, investors and the US, who all say it will give the ruling party control over the judiciary, eliminating checks and balances on its power.

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