Protests in Mexico against judicial reform: Video
Hundreds of people protested in Mexico City on Sunday, August 25 against a controversial constitutional reform backed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The reform proposes that judges and magistrates be elected by popular vote, a shift from the current system.
Protesters marched from the Monument to the Revolution to the Zócalo, Mexico's main square, waving flags and chanting slogans like "We are the guardians of the Constitution!"
The reform, which will be considered in the legislature starting September 1, aims to replace judicial promotions with elections for federal judges. This has led to a strike by judicial workers who argue the reform undermines the judicial career system and threatens judicial independence, AFP reported.
The reform has also strained relations with the United States and Canada. U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar warned that the proposal could harm trade relations and Mexican democracy. Canadian Ambassador Graeme Clark also said investors in his country are concerned about the reform's impact on the judicial system.
The López Obrador administration dismissed Salazar’s comments as "interventionist," while President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, who takes office on October 1, pointed out that judges in the U.S. are elected by popular vote.
