Latest news with #NationalElectoralInstitute
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mexican president hails ‘complete success' after just 13% vote in judicial elections
Mexico's president Claudia Sheinbaum has defended the country's unprecedented judicial elections after just 13% of Mexicans turned out to vote, a record low in a federal election. Roughly 2,600 posts, from local magistrates to supreme court justices, were up for grabs on Sunday, as an entire judicial system was put to the vote for the first time in the world. Despite the low turnout, Sheinbaum described the process as 'a complete success', adding: 'Mexico is the most democratic country in the world.' The vote was the result of a radical reform by the governing Morena party, which said it would reduce corruption and impunity in the judicial system by making it more responsive to popular opinion. Related: Mexico steps into unknown with world's first popular election of all judges: 'A blind date with democracy' But the concept was challenged by critics who said it would bulldoze the separation of powers and could flood the judicial system with candidates who were under-qualified and aligned with political interests. The National Electoral Institute had to design and implement the unprecedented and seismically important election in a matter of months. Given the sheer number of positions and candidates involved, critics had warned that a low turnout was likely. Parts of the opposition also called for a boycott. Still, the estimated 13% turnout is far below the more than 60% that tends to turn out for presidential elections, and also lower than any other federal vote in Mexico's democratic history. Once blank and spoiled ballots are taken into account, the effective vote could be still lower. The opposition, which has been unable to find a response to Morena's electoral machine since former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador first led it to power in 2018, seized on the low turnout to criticise the reform. 'As we said from the beginning: the election of the judiciary was an absolute failure,' said Ricardo Anaya, a former presidential candidate from the conservative PAN party. 'What we saw was a simulation, a fraud and a mess. Empty ballot boxes, ballots marked prematurely, and citizens who did not even know who they were voting for. This is not democracy. It is an insult.' However, there is no minimum turnout required to formally legitimise an election in Mexico. The vote count is expected to be protracted, and results will drip in over the next two weeks. Low turnout favours the clientelistic vote, and there was evidence of illegal party interference in the elections through the distribution of cheat sheets largely with the names of the government's favoured candidates. Many of these sheets focused on the supreme court, which has often acted as a check on Morena's executive power, and a new disciplinary tribune, which will keep judges in line. Other interests – including organised crime groups – may also have managed to place their own favoured candidates by mobilising voters. Over the coming weeks, experts will scrutinise the results to discern which interests have emerged with more and less influence in Mexico's courts. The new judges will take their seats in a transformed judicial system in September. 'Yesterday's turnout at the polls met expectations,' said Sheinbaum. 'It was an innovative process that generated interest among the participants.' 'Everything can be perfected,' added Sheinbaum, looking ahead to the second round of judicial elections in which another 1,000 judges will be chosen. 'We will draw conclusions from yesterday to make improvements for 2027.'
Eyewitness News
3 days 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
3 days 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
3 days 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.
RTHK
3 days ago
- Politics
- RTHK
Sheinbaum defends judicial vote after low turnout
Sheinbaum defends judicial vote after low turnout Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke a press conference on the country's first judicial election. Photo: Reuters 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 after the election they have "nothing to fear." "Mexico is a free, democratic country -- that won't change. Nothing will change, except access to justice," she said. 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." The leader of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party, Alejandro Moreno, denounced the vote as a "farce" and called it a "dark day for democracy." "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. (AFP)
