Latest news with #democracia
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
Confusion and concern loom over Mexico's historic judicial election
Monterrey, Mexico – There will be more than 7,000 candidates. More than 2,600 open positions. And at least six ballots per person to weigh them all. On Sunday, Mexico embarks on an election believed to be the first of its kind: Voters will cast ballots for all of the country's judges, half now and half in 2027. Judges of all levels will be in the running. Some candidates are competing to serve on the Supreme Court. Others are aiming for federal district or circuit courts. Still more are competing for the thousands of open positions on the state and local levels. By one estimate, if a voter spent five minutes researching each federal candidate on their ballot, they would need more than 15 hours to complete the task. Therein lies the dilemma, according to many election experts. While the Mexican government has touted the election as a milestone in democratic participation, critics fear the vote could in fact be vulnerable to political manipulation or criminal groups. Julio Rios Figueroa, a law professor at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM), considers the election a step towards "democratic erosion". He fears the vote "will eliminate the judiciary as a countervailing factor" that balances other more overtly political branches of government, like the presidency and Congress. Then, of course, there's the sheer challenge of keeping track of all the candidates. 'For a citizen who has the time and the interest, it's a very difficult task," Ríos Figueroa said. "Now, there are many citizens who don't have the time or the interest."
New York Times
2 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Why Mexico's Judicial Election Matters
Mexican voters face a daunting task on Sunday. For the first time in the country's history, they will elect more than 2,600 judges and magistrates, including those who will sit on the Supreme Court and hundreds of other federal, state and local tribunals. The election will move the judiciary from an appointment-based system to one in which voters will choose their judges. Supporters of the overhaul argue it makes the system more democratic and counteracts problems like nepotism and corruption. Critics say it risks giving the governing party more power and opens the courts to candidates who lack experience and qualifications, or could be influenced by criminal groups like cartels. The experiment is so ambitious, divisive and confusing that it is difficult to know how it will unfold: A single day of voting will enact the most far-reaching judicial overhaul ever by a large democracy. Here's what to know about Mexico's election for judges, how it works and why it matters. Why are Mexicans voting for judges? The election is the culmination of a contentious process in which Morena, the governing party, and its allies amended the Constitution last year to overhaul the court system. The idea to elect judges by popular vote was proposed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and championed by his successor, Claudia Sheinbaum. Mr. López Obrador pushed the plan after the Supreme Court issued a series of rulings that blocked some of his government's plans — such as weakening Mexico's electoral watchdog agency and putting the National Guard under military control — and federal judges issued orders to suspend some of his flagship projects, citing environmental concerns. Angered by those rulings, which he called politically motivated, Mr. López Obrador urged his base to help cement Morena's control of Congress. The large majorities secured by the party during last year's general election have since allowed its lawmakers to pass a slate of constitutional changes that will overhaul the court system. How will the election work? On Sunday, voters will elect half of Mexico's judiciary, and the rest in 2027. This year, nearly 880 federal judgeships, from district judges up to Supreme Court justices, will be up for grabs. In addition, 19 of the country's 32 states will elect local judges and magistrates to fill about 1,800 seats. More than 7,700 candidates are running for those jobs. Unlike regular elections, where political parties can finance their candidates' campaigns, aspiring judges are not allowed to rely on public or private funding, forcing them instead to use their own resources and guerrilla marketing on social media to attract attention. To try to help voters, the agency overseeing the votecreated an online platform so that people can familiarize themselves with the candidates. Still, even some supporters of the overhaul acknowledge that it will be difficult for voters to make informed choices among thousands of largely unknown candidates. In a recent poll that Ms. Sheinbaum mentioned during her daily news conference to try to show support for Mexico's experiment, 72 percent of about 1,000 voters surveyed said the judicial election was needed. But only a small fraction of them, 23 percent, knew who the candidates were. 'They are going to vote blindly,' Heidi Osuna, the director of the agency that oversaw the poll, told a radio interviewer this week. Many uninformed voters, she said, most likely 'won't turn out to vote.' Will the election improve the justice system? This has been the subject of debate for months. Supporters of the election often talk about a system rife with corruption and nepotism, where justice is more easily accessible to those who can afford it and where dozens of judges have been co-opted by one or more of Mexico's violent cartels. In fact, Mexicans perceive judges to be among the country's most corrupt officials, second only to traffic agents. A system in which judges are elected, proponents say, will sever the ties that some have with powerful criminals, corrupt officials and members of the elite. Instead, they argue, judges will now respond to the interests of those who voted them in: the Mexican people. While critics concede that Mexico's judiciary faces huge problems and is in need of deep reform, they say this is not the way to fix it. Several experts have argued that the overhaul will politicize courts that should hand down justice independently, and that the governing Morena party, which already holds the presidency and Congress, will wield extraordinary influence over the vote. They have also said that a system of direct elections risks letting underqualified candidates become judges and opens the door to greater cartel influence. When will the results be known? Mexico votes with paper ballots, and they must all be counted by hand. Unlike other Mexican elections, when preliminary results are known on election night, results for the federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court, will become clear in the days after the vote. The nationwide vote counts that will determine the final results will take place on June 15.
Washington Post
3 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Will Mexico's judicial elections hurt democracy or make the courts accountable?
MEXICO CITY — Mexicans will vote in the country's first judicial elections Sunday. The fiercely debated question is whether electing judges will deepen democratic decay or purge courts of rampant corruption and impunity. The vote comes as power in Mexico has been increasingly concentrated in the popular president's office, and as organized crime wields significant political influence in many parts of the country. Critics worry that electing judges will weaken checks and balances on government and stack the courts in favor of the ruling party.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Will Mexico's judicial elections hurt democracy or make the courts accountable?
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexicans will vote in the country's first judicial elections Sunday. The fiercely debated question is whether electing judges will deepen democratic decay or purge courts of rampant corruption and impunity. The vote comes as power in Mexico has been increasingly concentrated in the popular president's office, and as organized crime wields significant political influence in many parts of the country. Critics worry that electing judges will weaken checks and balances on government and stack the courts in favor of the ruling party. Judges and court staff previously earned their positions through merit and experience. Now the election has more than 7,700 candidates vying for more than 2,600 judicial positions, including on Mexico's Supreme Court. Hundreds more positions will be elected in 2027. 'We've never seen something like this before. What Mexico is doing is like an experiment, and we don't know what the outcome of it will be,' said Carin Zissis, director of the Council of the Americas' Washington office. Mexico's ruling party overhauls the courts Mexico's judicial elections will pick judges across every level of government, an unprecedented situation globally. Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador led the push for the overhaul. The highly popular leader was long at odds with Mexican courts, which regularly struck down reform proposals and halted projects they called an overreach of executive power. López Obrador went as far as publicly criticizing judges in his press briefings. Last September, after dominating presidential and legislative elections, his Morena party jammed the constitutional reform through congress. His ally and successor, President Claudia Sheinbaum, has continued to champion it. The overhaul notably put limits on the Supreme Court's power to widely block presidential actions and laws, and set up a disciplinary tribunal for judges. 'The way I see it, the Supreme Court is going to once again become irrelevant, just like it was in the old days of authoritarian rule ... when its ability to monitor constitutionality was basically null,' said Rafael Estada, a constitutional historian. Sheinbaum and López Obrador have asserted that by popularly electing judges, they can root out corruption in the judiciary and bring the branch closer to the people. 'Who is going to choose the judges on the court now? The Mexican people. That's the big difference between what once was and what now is,' Sheinbaum said Monday as she called on Mexicans to vote. 'And that,' she added, 'is democracy.' Many on the ballot won a lottery after being screened by committees made up of people from the three branches of government — two of which are controlled by the president's party. To qualify, candidates need a law degree, five years of professional experience, an essay and letters of recommendation from friends and colleagues. Concerns about democratic decay The passage of the reform legislation sparked weeks of protests by judges and judicial staff, a sharp rebuke from the Biden administration and concerns by international investors, causing the Mexican peso to dip. Opponents have called on Mexicans to boycott the vote, and the election is projected to have low turnout. The opponents – former judges, legal experts, politicians and foreign observers -— say that battling corruption and impunity in the courts is not a bad idea. Most Mexicans agree that the judiciary is rife with corruption. 'The judiciary has a lot of scores to settle in this country,' said Georgina De la Fuente, election specialist with the Mexican consulting firm Strategia Electoral. But critics say the ruling party is simply politicizing the courts at an opportune moment, when Sheinbaum is highly popular. Judicial candidates are not allowed to announce their party affiliation and are unable to accept party funds or hold major campaign events. A number of former Morena government officials and allies, however, have posted lists on social media of which ones to elect. Mexico's electoral authority said Wednesday it also had investigated cases of physical guides handed out to potential voters in Mexico City and Nuevo Leon state, something it said could amount to 'coercion.' 'The way in which this reform was designed does not give people greater access to justice. It was designed to take control of the judiciary and blur the division of powers,' De la Fuente said. 'Opening a Pandora's box' Others warn that the overhaul could open the judiciary to questionable judges and allow organized crime to further influence Mexico's justice system. A number of candidates have raised eyebrows. Chief among them is Silvia Delgado García, a former lawyer for drug kingpin Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, who is running to be a criminal court judge in the northern border state of Chihuahua. Critics 'speak out of ignorance because whether or not I've represented some person doesn't transform you into that person,' she told the AP as she handed out campaign flyers to people crossing the border from Ciudad Juarez to El Paso, Texas. 'What I can promise you is I'll be an impartial judge,' she told some voters. Watchdogs also say that last year's vote on the reform was rushed through, criteria for candidates wasn't always followed, the number of candidates was limited by a lottery and lower-court orders trying to keep the reforms from taking effect were ignored. Zissis, of Council of the Americas, said the reforms could increase instability in the region at a time of rapid political change. Mexico's government has been working furiously to talk U.S. President Donald Trump down from tariff threats and meet demands by his administration to crack down on organized crime. At the same time, Trump has been locked in political fights with courts trying to block various actions. The turmoil could hurt international investment in Mexico if investors believe their money is less secure, Zissis said. 'It feels like Mexico is opening a Pandora's box,' she said. ___ Associated Press journalists María Verza and Christian Chávez contributed to this report from Mexico City and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- General
- Bloomberg
Mexico's Judicial Reform Is Now In the Hands of Confused Voters
It's an election unlike any other in Mexico. No sports stadiums packed with the party faithful. The smiling faces of normally omnipresent candidates almost completely absent on TV or glitzy posters. But the stakes couldn't be higher. On Sunday, Mexicans will begin electing judges from among thousands of largely unknown candidates in a vote critics slam as a radical experiment that will mark the end of an independent judiciary.
