Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador surprisingly announced a pause in diplomatic relations with the US and Canadian embassies on Tuesday. The reason for this is, according to “CNN“ critical statements by the ambassadors of both countries on López Obrador’s controversial reform plans in the judicial system.
Constitutional changes under scrutiny
During his daily press conference, López Obrador explained that the diplomatic “pause” only affected the embassies and not the countries concerned, reports “NewsweekHe stressed that relations would only be restored when diplomats were “respectful of Mexico’s independence and sovereignty.”
López Obrador’s reform proposal calls for judges to be chosen through popular elections, which is part of a broader package of constitutional changes. These changes, which affect areas such as pensions and the energy sector, still have to be approved by both houses of the Mexican Congress with a two-thirds majority. Critics fear that these reforms could weaken the separation of powers and lead to the dissolution of independent institutions, reports CNN.
Possible negative impacts on trade relations
US Ambassador Ken Salazar expressed concerns last week that the direct election of judges posed “a significant risk to the functioning of Mexican democracy”. He stressed that the judiciary should be strengthened and not “exposed to the corruption of politics”. According to Newsweek, Salazar also warned of possible negative effects on trade relations between the two countries.
The Canadian ambassador to Mexico, Graeme Clark, expressed concern about the potential impact of the reforms on investment, pointing out in particular the “disappearance” of some autonomous institutions, CNN reports. For example, López Obrador is seeking to abolish the Institute for the Protection of Personal Data, which opened an investigation against him in February after he published the personal phone number of a New York Times journalist.
