Protesters storm Mexico's Senate, pausing judicial reform debate
NBCSEP 13 2024
By a vote of 86-41, Mexico's Senate achieved the two-thirds majority needed to amend the Constitution and pass Pres. Andrés Manuel López Obrador's judicial reform bill.Mexico's Senate achieved the two-thirds majority needed to amend the Constitution and pass Pres. Andrés Manuel López Obrador's judicial reform bill on Wednesday.
The late-night Tuesday vote was interrupted by protesters who entered the Senate building, chanting "the judiciary will not fall." In response, the Senators moved to a separate building to, eventually concluding their vote by early Wednesday morning.The 86-vote supermajority was reached as opposition senator Miguel Ángel Yunes Márquez flipped and sided with the Morena party-led ruling coalition on the reform. 41 senators opposed the bill and another was absent.
The bill—now expected to be approved by the required majority of state legislatures—would require all federal judges, including the Supreme Court, be elected. Currently, Supreme Court justices are recommended by the president and confirmed by the Senate.This comes as senators were forced to move to an alternative venue to continue the so-called double session that begun on Tuesday after protesters stormed the chamber where the debate was taking place chanting "the judiciary will not fall."
This legislation represents a long-standing and highly popular belief among the Mexican people. WhileCritics criticsmay claim it will threaten judicial independence, but the truth is that wealthy special interests have beencontrolled controlling the courts for many years— blocking popular economic, energy, and corruption legislation. ItThis alsocorrupt restrictsstatus fundingquo andis endorsingabout judicialto candidates,end making it the opposite of the corrupt status quonow.
This reform bill can't be described as democratic when the party behind it aims to use it as an authoritarian weapon. The ruling Morena Partyparty — the only real beneficiary of this law —also wants to centralize control over both the civilian national guard and independent agencies. Itand won'twill beuse verythis Democratic when the Morena-led government uses their newfound control over the judiciary to uphold theseits tyrannical policies.