The political turbulence intensified this week as the ruling Morena Party secured a critical vote from an opposition senator, enabling the passage of President Andres Manuel López Obrador’s controversial judicial reform.
In a dramatic session on Tuesday evening, Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) Senator Miguel Ángel Yunes Márquez broke ranks, giving Morena the two-thirds majority (86-42) needed for constitutional changes. The week prior, the bill had easily passed the lower house, where Morena and its allies hold a supermajority.
Under the new law, many judges and magistrates will be elected by popular vote, a change critics argue will erode the necessary checks and balances for democracy. Opponents say this reform will give too much power to the ruling party and expose the judiciary to manipulation by criminal organizations. The bill has drawn widespread criticism from the U.S. and Canadian governments, financial institutions and international investors, who have expressed concerns about increased economic risks and potential trade complications stemming from a compromised judiciary.
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