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Eyewitness News
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Mexico president defends world-first judicial vote despite low turnout
MEXICO CITY - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum hit back Monday at criticism of her country's unprecedented election of judges, after most voters skipped a ballot that her opponents branded a farce. Sunday's election followed highly contentious reforms making Mexico the only country in the world to let voters select all of their judges, including Supreme Court justices. As officials tallied votes, Sheinbaum hailed the "complete success" of an exercise she said was needed to clean up a judiciary mired in corruption. The National Electoral Institute said around 13% of eligible voters took part in a poll that critics said would erode democratic checks and balances and leave judges more vulnerable to criminal influence. Sheinbaum told Mexicans that they had "nothing to fear." "Mexico is a free, democratic country - that won't change. Nothing will change, except access to justice," she said at her daily news conference. Sheinbaum pushed back at claims "that we're heading toward authoritarianism, and that the president will have a lot of power because she'll control the judiciary." "Now the judges, magistrates and justices answer to the people," she said. The first results were expected Monday, beginning with the Supreme Court justices. With more than half of those votes counted, Hugo Aguilar, a lawyer and defender of Indigenous people's rights, was leading the race to be president of the top court. 'DARK DAY' The leader of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Alejandro Moreno, denounced the vote as a "farce" and called it a "dark day for democracy." The elections showed Sheinbaum's Morena party was "willing to do anything to concentrate power. They weaken the justice system, trample on institutions, and block the way to democratic debate," he said. Many voters seemed daunted by the long list of largely unknown candidates in an election for around 880 federal judges as well as hundreds of local judges and magistrates. Another election for the remainder will be held in 2027. In the western state of Jalisco, 63-year-old housewife Maria Estrada said she used her "intuition" because she did not know the candidates. Arturo Giesemann, a 57-year-old retiree in Mexico City, said his main reason for voting was "the disgust I have with the current judiciary because of its corruption." Hundreds of opponents of the reforms marched through the capital waving flags and banners with slogans including: "Hands off our democracy" and "No to electoral fraud." The elections send the judiciary "to its grave," said Ismael Novela, a 58-year-old company worker. "It was the last counterweight we had against the totalitarianism of the executive branch." 'GOOD REPUTATION' Critics of the election warned that criminal groups who regularly use violence, threats and bribery would seek to increase their influence over the courts by meddling in the vote. Rights group Defensorxs had identified around 20 candidates it considered "high risk," including Silvia Delgado, a former lawyer for Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Another aspiring judge, in Durango state, spent almost six years in prison in the United States for drug crimes, despite an official requirement for a clean criminal record. Candidates were also supposed to have a law degree, experience in legal affairs and what is termed "a good reputation." The run-up to the vote was not accompanied by the kind of violence that often targets Mexican politicians, which could in part reflect the "chaotic process," said David Shirk, an expert on Mexico's justice system at the University of San Diego. "Part of the problem for organised crime is they're not sure what judges stand for and who's going to be easy to influence, who's going to be willing to take bribes," he told AFP. "It could be that in the coming year, as judges take office and start making decisions that are unfavourable to organised crime, that's when we'll start to see some of the pressure and violent activities by organised crime groups," Shirk added.
The Sun
a day ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Mexico president defends world-first judicial vote
MEXICO CITY: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum hit back Monday at criticism of her country's unprecedented election of judges, after most voters skipped a ballot that her opponents called a farce. Sunday's election followed highly contentious reforms making Mexico the only country in the world to let voters select all of their judges, including Supreme Court justices. As officials began the long process of tallying votes, Sheinbaum hailed the 'complete success' of an exercise she said was needed to clean up a judiciary mired in corruption. The National Electoral Institute said around 13 percent of eligible voters took part in a poll that critics said would erode democratic checks and balances and leave judges more vulnerable to criminal influence. The low participation rate compared with turnout of around 60 percent in presidential elections last year that Sheinbaum won by a landslide. The veteran left-winger told Mexicans on Monday that they have 'nothing to fear.' 'Mexico is a free, democratic country -- that won't change. Nothing will change, except access to justice,' she said at her daily news conference. Sheinbaum pushed back at claims 'that we're heading toward authoritarianism and that the president will have a lot of power because she'll control the judiciary.' 'Now the judges, magistrates and justices answer to the people,' she said, rejecting comparisons to authoritarian states like Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. 'Dark day' The leader of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Alejandro Moreno, denounced the vote as a 'farce' and called it a 'dark day for democracy.' The elections showed Sheinbaum's Morena party was 'willing to do anything to concentrate power. They weaken the justice system, trample on institutions, and block the way to democratic debate,' he said. Many voters seemed daunted by the long list of largely unknown candidates in an election for around 880 federal judges as well as hundreds of local judges and magistrates. Another election for the remainder will be held in 2027. Arturo Giesemann, a 57-year-old retiree, said his main reason for voting was 'the disgust I have with the current judiciary because of its corruption.' In the western state of Jalisco, 63-year-old housewife Maria Estrada said she used her 'intuition' because she did not know the candidates. Hundreds of opponents of the reforms marched through Mexico City waving flags and banners with slogans including: 'Hands off our democracy' and 'No to electoral fraud.' The elections send the judiciary 'to its grave,' said Ismael Novela, a 58-year-old company worker. 'It was the last counterweight we had against the totalitarianism of the executive branch.' 'Good reputation' Rights group Defensorxs had identified around 20 candidates it considered 'high risk,' including Silvia Delgado, a former lawyer for Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman. Another aspiring judge, in Durango state, spent almost six years in prison in the United States for drug crimes. Candidates were supposed to have a law degree, experience in legal affairs and what is termed 'a good reputation,' as well as no criminal record in Mexico. To do a good job, voters would have had 'to spend hours and hours researching the track record and the profiles of each of the hundreds of candidates,' said David Shirk, an expert on Mexico's justice system at the University of San Diego. The judicial reforms were championed by Sheinbaum's predecessor and mentor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who frequently clashed with the courts before stepping down last year. The main reason for the elections seems to be 'because Lopez Obrador had a grudge against the judges,' Shirk said.
The Sun
a day ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Mexico president defends world-first judicial vote despite low turnout
MEXICO CITY: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum hit back Monday at criticism of her country's unprecedented election of judges, after most voters skipped a ballot that her opponents called a farce. Sunday's election followed highly contentious reforms making Mexico the only country in the world to let voters select all of their judges, including Supreme Court justices. As officials began the long process of tallying votes, Sheinbaum hailed the 'complete success' of an exercise she said was needed to clean up a judiciary mired in corruption. The National Electoral Institute said around 13 percent of eligible voters took part in a poll that critics said would erode democratic checks and balances and leave judges more vulnerable to criminal influence. The low participation rate compared with turnout of around 60 percent in presidential elections last year that Sheinbaum won by a landslide. The veteran left-winger told Mexicans on Monday that they have 'nothing to fear.' 'Mexico is a free, democratic country -- that won't change. Nothing will change, except access to justice,' she said at her daily news conference. Sheinbaum pushed back at claims 'that we're heading toward authoritarianism and that the president will have a lot of power because she'll control the judiciary.' 'Now the judges, magistrates and justices answer to the people,' she said, rejecting comparisons to authoritarian states like Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. 'Dark day' The leader of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Alejandro Moreno, denounced the vote as a 'farce' and called it a 'dark day for democracy.' The elections showed Sheinbaum's Morena party was 'willing to do anything to concentrate power. They weaken the justice system, trample on institutions, and block the way to democratic debate,' he said. Many voters seemed daunted by the long list of largely unknown candidates in an election for around 880 federal judges as well as hundreds of local judges and magistrates. Another election for the remainder will be held in 2027. Arturo Giesemann, a 57-year-old retiree, said his main reason for voting was 'the disgust I have with the current judiciary because of its corruption.' In the western state of Jalisco, 63-year-old housewife Maria Estrada said she used her 'intuition' because she did not know the candidates. Hundreds of opponents of the reforms marched through Mexico City waving flags and banners with slogans including: 'Hands off our democracy' and 'No to electoral fraud.' The elections send the judiciary 'to its grave,' said Ismael Novela, a 58-year-old company worker. 'It was the last counterweight we had against the totalitarianism of the executive branch.' 'Good reputation' Rights group Defensorxs had identified around 20 candidates it considered 'high risk,' including Silvia Delgado, a former lawyer for Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman. Another aspiring judge, in Durango state, spent almost six years in prison in the United States for drug crimes. Candidates were supposed to have a law degree, experience in legal affairs and what is termed 'a good reputation,' as well as no criminal record in Mexico. To do a good job, voters would have had 'to spend hours and hours researching the track record and the profiles of each of the hundreds of candidates,' said David Shirk, an expert on Mexico's justice system at the University of San Diego. The judicial reforms were championed by Sheinbaum's predecessor and mentor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who frequently clashed with the courts before stepping down last year. The main reason for the elections seems to be 'because Lopez Obrador had a grudge against the judges,' Shirk said.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Mexico president defends world-first judicial vote despite low turnout
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum hit back Monday at criticism of her country's unprecedented election of judges, after most voters skipped a ballot that her opponents called a farce. Sunday's election followed highly contentious reforms making Mexico the only country in the world to let voters select all of their judges, including Supreme Court justices. As officials began the long process of tallying votes, Sheinbaum hailed the "complete success" of an exercise she said was needed to clean up a judiciary mired in corruption. The National Electoral Institute said around 13 percent of eligible voters took part in a poll that critics said would erode democratic checks and balances and leave judges more vulnerable to criminal influence. The low participation rate compared with turnout of around 60 percent in presidential elections last year that Sheinbaum won by a landslide. The veteran left-winger told Mexicans on Monday that they have "nothing to fear." "Mexico is a free, democratic country -- that won't change. Nothing will change, except access to justice," she said at her daily news conference. Sheinbaum pushed back at claims "that we're heading toward authoritarianism and that the president will have a lot of power because she'll control the judiciary." "Now the judges, magistrates and justices answer to the people," she said, rejecting comparisons to authoritarian states like Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. - 'Dark day' - The leader of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Alejandro Moreno, denounced the vote as a "farce" and called it a "dark day for democracy." The elections showed Sheinbaum's Morena party was "willing to do anything to concentrate power. They weaken the justice system, trample on institutions, and block the way to democratic debate," he said. Many voters seemed daunted by the long list of largely unknown candidates in an election for around 880 federal judges as well as hundreds of local judges and magistrates. Another election for the remainder will be held in 2027. Arturo Giesemann, a 57-year-old retiree, said his main reason for voting was "the disgust I have with the current judiciary because of its corruption." In the western state of Jalisco, 63-year-old housewife Maria Estrada said she used her "intuition" because she did not know the candidates. Hundreds of opponents of the reforms marched through Mexico City waving flags and banners with slogans including: "Hands off our democracy" and "No to electoral fraud." The elections send the judiciary "to its grave," said Ismael Novela, a 58-year-old company worker. "It was the last counterweight we had against the totalitarianism of the executive branch." - 'Good reputation' - Rights group Defensorxs had identified around 20 candidates it considered "high risk," including Silvia Delgado, a former lawyer for Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Another aspiring judge, in Durango state, spent almost six years in prison in the United States for drug crimes. Candidates were supposed to have a law degree, experience in legal affairs and what is termed "a good reputation," as well as no criminal record in Mexico. To do a good job, voters would have had "to spend hours and hours researching the track record and the profiles of each of the hundreds of candidates," said David Shirk, an expert on Mexico's justice system at the University of San Diego. The judicial reforms were championed by Sheinbaum's predecessor and mentor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who frequently clashed with the courts before stepping down last year. The main reason for the elections seems to be "because Lopez Obrador had a grudge against the judges," Shirk said. bur-dr/bjt
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ICE deports former Mexico governor serving federal prison sentence in Illinois
A former governor and presidential candidate in Mexico serving a federal prison sentence in the U.S. for money laundering was deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) this week. Tomas Jesus Yarrington Ruvalcaba, 68, was removed by ICE on Wednesday and turned over to Mexican authorities, whom he was wanted by, the agency announced on Friday. Yarrington was the governor of Tamaulipas, Mexico, from 1999 to 2005, and ran as a presidential candidate for Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party in 2005. Fugitive Mexican Ex-governor Charged With Drug Smuggling Captured In Italy Before he was transferred to ICE custody last summer, he was serving a 108-month sentence in the Federal Correctional Institution Thomson in Illinois after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in 2021. Yarrington was moved from the Illinois prison to continue immigration hearings, and on Feb. 27, a judge with the Department of Justice's Executive Office for Immigration Review ordered his removal. The ex-politician waived his right to appeal. Read On The Fox News App Mexican authorities were awaiting his arrival at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in California to take him into custody for charges he is facing there, which include organized crime and transactions with illegally obtained resources. Former Mexico Governor Extradited To Us To Face Drug Charges Court documents showed that he accepted bribes from individuals and private companies in Mexico during his time as governor of Tamaulipas to do business with the state, ICE said. He used the bribery money to purchase properties in the United States, but used nominee buyers in an attempt to hide his involvement. "Yarrington laundered his illegally obtained bribe money in the United States by purchasing beachfront condominiums, large estates, commercial developments, airplanes and luxury vehicles," ICE said. Yarrington was caught traveling in Italy in April 2017 under an assumed name and fake passport. He was taken into custody there on a provisional arrest warrant following a May 2013 indictment for various money laundering and drug-related charges. Italian authorities ultimately authorized his extradition to the U.S., which he fought, and he arrived in the states in April article source: ICE deports former Mexico governor serving federal prison sentence in Illinois
