MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) – The Mexican Supreme Court yesterday declared unconstitutional a bid by the country’s ruling party to extend the period in office of the tribunal’s chief justice, which President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had supported.
A decision by Congress in April to prolong by two years the term of Supreme Court President Arturo Zaldivar sparked consternation among critics of the government, who saw it as a potential test run for extending Lopez Obrador’s mandate.
Lopez Obrador denied this, but Zaldivar later said he did not intend to extend his time in office until Nov. 30, 2024. Lopez Obrador had argued extending Zaldivar’s term was necessary so that he could oversee a package of reforms of the judiciary.
Opposition lawmakers still challenged the extension, and the Supreme Court said in a statement that its justices had voted unanimously to strike down the term amendment made by Congress, which was included within the raft of judicial reforms.