Mexico will amend its constitution this weekend to require all judges to be elected
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated 9:10 PM CDT, September 12, 2024
MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexico is poised to amend its constitution this weekend to require all judges to be elected as part of a judicial overhaul championed by the outgoing president but slammed by critics as a blow to the countrys rule of law.
The amendment passed Mexicos Congress on Wednesday, and by Thursday it already had been ratified by the required majority of the countrys 32 state legislatures. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he would sign and publish the constitutional change on Sunday.
Legal experts and international observers have said the move could endanger Mexicos democracy by stacking courts with judges loyal to the ruling Morena party, which has a strong grip on both Congress and the presidency after big electoral wins in June.
López Obrador says the overhaul would crack down on corruption in a system that most Mexicans agree is broken. But critics believe the move will deal a blow to checks and balances and make it easier for cartels and criminals to influence the courts.
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