Will Mexico's Judicial Elections Hurt Democracy or Make the Courts Accountable?
Will Mexico's Judicial Elections Hurt Democracy or Make the Courts Accountable?
"What Mexico is doing is like an experiment, and we don’t know what the outcome of it will be," said AS/COA's Carin Zissis to the Associated Press.
Mexicans will vote in the country’s first judicial elections Sunday, June 1. The fiercely debated question is whether electing judges will deepen democratic decay or purge courts of rampant corruption and impunity.
The vote comes as power in Mexico has been increasingly concentrated in the popular president’s office, and as organized crime wields significant political influence in many parts of the country. Critics worry that electing judges will weaken checks and balances on government and stack the courts in favor of the ruling party. Judges and court staff previously earned their positions through merit and experience.
Now the election has more than 7,700 candidates vying for more than 2,600 judicial positions, including on Mexico’s Supreme Court. Hundreds more positions will be elected in 2027.
“We’ve never seen something like this before. What Mexico is doing is like an experiment, and we don’t know what the outcome of it will be,” said Carin Zissis, interim director of the Council of the Americas’ Washington office. [...]
Zissis said the reforms could increase instability in the region at a time of rapid political change.
Mexico’s government has been working furiously to talk U.S. President Donald Trump down from tariff threats and meet demands by his administration to crack down on organized crime. At the same time, Trump has been locked in political fights with courts trying to block various actions. The turmoil could hurt international investment in Mexico if investors believe their money is less secure, Zissis said.
“It feels like Mexico is opening a Pandora’s box,” she said.
