Mexican Congress extends term of Supreme Court head, dispute looms

Mexico's Congress voted on Friday to extend the Supreme Court president's term for two more years, a step condemned by critics as a power grab by the ruling party, and one almost certain to be challenged as unconstitutional. With 260 votes in favor and 167 against, the lower house approved the extension of Supreme Court President Arturo Zaldivar's term until Nov. 30, 2024 as part of a package of judicial reforms.


Reuters | Updated: 23-04-2021 22:35 IST | Created: 23-04-2021 22:35 IST
Mexican Congress extends term of Supreme Court head, dispute looms

Mexico's Congress voted on Friday to extend the Supreme Court president's term for two more years, a step condemned by critics as a power grab by the ruling party, and one almost certain to be challenged as unconstitutional.

With 260 votes in favor and 167 against, the lower house approved the extension of Supreme Court President Arturo Zaldivar's term until Nov. 30, 2024 as part of a package of judicial reforms. The Senate approved the legislation last week. Proposed amendments to stop the prolongation of the term, originally due to run for four years to 2022, were defeated.

Zaldivar, who has sought to maintain some distance from the proposal without rejecting it outright, suggested that the Supreme Court will have the final say. "I will serve the term for which I was elected by my peers ... and will await the determination of the Supreme Court regarding the provision in question," he said in a statement.

Both houses of Congress are controlled by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) and its allies. Even so, a few MORENA lawmakers vigorously opposed the extension of Zaldivar's term. "The violation of the constitution has gone ahead and it will go to the Supreme Court," said MORENA congresswoman Lorena Villavicencio, one of the dissenters.

Lopez Obrador has dismissed concerns about the extension, saying it was put forward by the Senate, and that he was in favor of the measure if it helped pass the judicial reform. At a regular news conference on Friday, the president lauded the reform and reiterated his assertion that Mexico's judiciary was in a "bad" state and dominated by economic interests. Zaldivar was needed to oversee its transformation, he argued.

Zaldivar was appointed to lead the court under Lopez Obrador, and is widely seen as an ally of the president. Critics regard his job extension as a potential test case for prolonging the mandates of public servants enshrined in the constitution. Presidential terms are set at six years while the head of the Supreme Court is meant to serve for four.

Lopez Obrador has repeatedly said he has no intention of seeking to extend his term, which concludes in late 2024. (Writing by Dave Graham Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Peter Graff)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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