Mexico’s Senate voted early Wednesday to overhaul the country’s judiciary, marking a significant step towards a controversial constitutional revision. The proposed change would require all judges to stand for election, a move that has raised concerns about potential politicization of the judicial branch and its impact on Mexico’s democracy.
The vote followed a dramatic turn of events as hundreds of protesters stormed the Senate on Tuesday, disrupting the session just as the governing party was on the brink of securing enough votes to pass the legislation. The proposal had already breezed through the lower chamber, where the ruling party and its allies hold a commanding majority.
The Senate, however, presented a tougher challenge and necessitated defections from opposition parties to push the bill through. Notably, a member of the opposition National Action Party (PAN) who had previously opposed the overhaul was absent due to medical reasons, leading to speculation that his father, a former governor, might vote in favor of the proposal.
After two rounds of voting, both resulting in 86-41 outcomes, the bill was approved by the Senate in the early hours of the morning. The next step for the legislation is to be ratified by the legislatures of 17 out of Mexico’s 32 states. With the governing party having made significant electoral gains in recent polls, it is anticipated that the necessary support for the constitutional revision will be secured.
