Mexico Set to Debate Controversial Judicial Reform

Mexico's Lower House of Congress is set to debate a judicial reform aimed at electing judges by popular vote and reducing the number of Supreme Court judges. This proposal has sparked protests from judicial workers and students, and raised concerns among investors and international partners.

Mexico's Lower House of Congress is poised to open debate this Tuesday on a controversial judicial reform, with a vote expected later in the week, according to Ricardo Monreal, the ruling party leader in the chamber.

The judicial overhaul, championed by outgoing president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and his successor Claudia Sheinbaum, has ignited a strike among judicial workers, strained U.S. relations, and unsettled foreign investors. The core of the reform involves electing over 7,000 judges by popular vote, reducing the Supreme Court from 11 to 9 justices, and shortening their terms from 15 to 12 years, alongside establishing a supervisory body for judges.

Proponents argue the reforms are crucial to tackling Mexico's rampant impunity for violent crimes. Monreal stated that the Lower House would both debate and vote on the reform by Tuesday and Wednesday, before forwarding it to the Senate. With a two-thirds supermajority in the Lower House and nearly the same in the Senate, the ruling Morena party is in a strong position. However, university students and judicial workers protested on Sunday, arguing that the reforms would prioritize special interests and not address systemic corruption in prosecution and police forces.

(With inputs from agencies.)