MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) – Mexico’s Senate approved early today a sweeping judicial reform that will overhaul the country’s judiciary by electing judges by popular vote, a profound transformation that critics fear could threaten the rule of law and damage the economy.
In a marathon session that ran for over 12 hours, and had to be paused and relocated as protesters broke into the Senate building, the ruling Morena party and allies clinched the final two-thirds vote needed to approve the reform, which has prompted protests, a strike by judicial workers and market volatility.
Senators voted 86 to 41 in favor as the ruling bloc cheered and applauded. The reform will take effect once published in Mexico’s official gazette.
The approval followed tense debate and high political drama as the ruling coalition began Tuesday one seat short of the super-majority needed to pass the constitutional reform.
But an opposition lawmaker broke party ranks to vote in favor of the bill, while another was absent amid allegations he had been detained to stop him voting.
Morena denied any wrongdoing.
“It’s a sad day for our Mexico,” said senator Alejandro Moreno, president of the opposition PRI party. The reform “was approved in the Senate via the worst tricks and under unimaginable pressures and coercions.”
The reform is a huge victory for outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador who regards it as vital to restoring integrity to Mexico’s judiciary and ensuring it serves the people rather than elite and criminal interests.
Critics, though, worry it puts an alarming concentration of power in the hands of Morena.
Mexico’s major trading partners, the United States and Canada, have warned the overhaul could undermine the USMCA trade pact and negatively impact investment.
The reform has also spooked markets, with Mexico’s peso weakening some 17% since the June 2 elections that saw Morena win by a landslide.
As senators discussed the reform on Tuesday, demonstrators broke into the Senate building waving Mexican flags and crying “traitors,” forcing the session to be paused and moved to another location.
The backbone of the constitutional reform, which the lower house approved last week, calls for the election by popular vote of more than 6,500 judges and magistrates, including the Supreme Court.
The reform also reduces the number of Supreme Court judges to 9 from 11, cuts back the length of their terms to 12 years, abolishes a minimum age requirement of 35, and halves necessary work experience to 5 years.
Mexico’s incoming president Claudia Sheinbaum, who takes office on Oct. 2, will be tasked with managing the fallout of the reform, which risks dominating the first months of her term.
