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Mexican demonstrators block access to legislature amid judicial reform push

Judicial workers are striking in opposition to Morena Party-led reforms that would include the direct election of judges.

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A man holds a Mexican flag
A protester raises a Mexican flag as judicial workers march outside the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJN) in Mexico City on September 3 [Luis Cortes/Reuters]
Published On 3 Sep 2024

Mexican demonstrators have continued to voice their opposition to controversial judicial reforms pushed by the country’s ruling party and outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, also known as AMLO.

On Tuesday, striking judiciary workers blocked access to the country’s Supreme Court and Congress, where Lopez Obrador’s Morena party is expected to move forward with reforms that include the direct election of judges.

Lopez Obrador has insisted that the reforms will help combat corruption, but opponents say it will decrease professionalism and open the judiciary to greater political influence.

“The party with the majority could take control of the judicial branch, and that would practically be the end of democracy,” demonstrator Javier Reyes, a 37-year-old federal court worker, told the Associated Press news outlet.

As protests raged outside government buildings in Mexico City, the justices of the country’s Supreme Court voted to take part in the strike.

By a vote of eight to three, the justices agreed to stop work and join the protests, according to a statement released on Tuesday.

Protester raises a fist
Many employees, including those at the Supreme Court, have gone on strike to protest the proposed reforms, which would see more than 7,000 judges and magistrates elected by popular vote. [Luis Cortes/Reuters]
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A line of police with riot shields
Mexico's Congress is scheduled to vote on the judicial reforms either on Tuesday or Wednesday, though that vote may be relocated to a hotel or convention centre as a result of the protests. [Henry Romero/Reuters]
demonstrators form a line on a Mexico City street.
To pass the judicial reform, however, would require a constitutional change — and that means the legislation must pass through each chamber of Mexico's Congress with two-thirds support. [Henry Romero/Reuters]
A female protester in a straw hat speaks through a megaphone in Mexico City.
The ruling Morena Party, led by President Lopez Obrador, does have the necessary two-thirds majority to pass the legislation in the Chamber of Deputies. [Henry Romero/Reuters]
A woman shouts through her hands at a Mexico City protest
Last week, two elected officials in the Senate also shifted their allegiance to the Morena Party, putting the group one seat away from holding a super majority in that chamber as well. [Henry Romero/Reuters]
Demonstrators
The US ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, has called the proposals a risk to democracy, but Lopez Obrador said the ambassador's comments violated Mexican sovereignty. [Luis Cortes/Reuters]
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A man waves a flag
Morena and its allies won overwhelming majorities in June 2 elections, and Lopez Obrador has pledged to push forward with other constitutional changes that would eliminate many independent regulatory and oversight agencies. [Luis Cortes/Reuters]
Protesters form a line outside the Chamber of Deputies in Mexico City.
The judicial overhaul, however, is one of Lopez Obrador's last major policy endeavours while in office: Limited to a single term, he is set to leave his post on September 30. [Henry Romero/Reuters]
Protesters in the streets of Mexico City, packed together.
Tuesday's protests clogged Mexico's City streets, leaving pedestrians to jostle through lines of demonstrating judicial workers. [Henry Romero/Reuters]
Police officers stand guard in Mexico City, holding up clear plastic shields.
Police officers stood near the protesting judicial workers, ready to intervene as the demonstrators attempted to block members of the Morena Party from accessing government buildings. [Henry Romero/Reuters] (Reuters)
Ken Salazar, in a wide-brimmed hat behind a podium, surrounding by US and Mexican flags.
US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar held a press conference in Mexico City on Tuesday, where he reiterated his calls for an independent and corruption-free judicial branch. [Quetzalli Nicte-Ha/Reuters]

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