In Mexico, a wave of new judges is set to be sworn in. It's part of a sweeping and controversial reform to the nation's judicial system, which allows judges to be elected by popular vote. But critics insist that the changes undermine judicial independence.

Mexico City

Mexico has introduced a new system for selecting judges through popular elections, replacing the previous method of internal promotion based on expertise. Supporters, including the president, argue that this reform will reduce corruption and bring new perspectives to the judiciary, exemplified by the appointment of Hugo Aguilar as the first indigenous chief justice in over 150 years.

However, critics raise concerns that the new system allows less qualified candidates, some with controversial backgrounds or political connections, to assume judicial roles. There are allegations that the ruling party, Morena, influenced the outcome by providing voters with recommended candidate lists, resulting in a judiciary with strong ties to the party. The reform's long-term impact remains uncertain, with a second round of judicial elections scheduled for the future.

Mexico tests controversial judicial reform

It will stamp out corruption and cronyism in the judicial system and let new faces in. Finally, Mexicans will get the justice they deserve. That at least, is what the president says the country's first judicial elections will give Mexico. Judges elected by popular vote, rather than being promoted from within the system based on expertise and experience, will be sworn in this September the 1st. Hugo Aguilar has become a poster boy for the elections, the first indigenous chief justice of Mexico's Supreme Court in more than 150 years. That wouldn't have happened in the old system, he says. There wasn't sensitivity to understand how our communities are, how our people live, what they want. So appointing a judge who isn't enclosed in formalism and is more sensitive, has worked with people, will mean a change of vision and commitment. But the new system has opened the door to less qualified and experienced judges. Even critics say ones with dubious links who shouldn't have been allowed to run at all. Like Silvia Delgado Garcia, an ex-lawyer for El Chapo Joaquin Guzman, once Mexico's most wanted drug lord. Now she's an elected judge in Ciudad Juarez. I don't regret representing any of my clients, not a single one. I've always gone about my work diligently, nothing more. So my message will always be that I will be impartial, and I hope I am allowed to get on with my job. But this is bigger than just those cases. The underlying fear is that via the elections, Mexico now has a large number of judges with strong links to the ruling party, Morena. Can you explain how the election process has been used to the benefit of Morena? And in particular, there was a sort of like cheat sheet and kind of like mechanism that were used by the Morena coalition to convince voters or to suggest to voters a specific number or a specific group of people that should be voted to different judicial positions. And in an impressive correlation, the great, great majority of them, above 90 percent of the people in those cheat sheet type of lists, were essentially elected to this position. With Morena already in control of the country's executive and legislative branches, some believe that checks and balances on the party's power are diminishing. And it's not over yet. In 2027 comes the second round of the judicial elections in which the rest of the country's judges will be picked. At least by that point, the population will have been able to have a look at this great experiment and see if it's working or not. John Holman, Aljazeera, Mexico City.

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