Mexico City. U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar said Thursday that the eventual approval of the judicial reform proposed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador “represents a risk to the functioning of Mexico’s democracy and the integration of our economies under the USMCA.”
At a last-minute press conference, the White House official, who had expressed his positive opinion of some aspects of the reform last week, openly expressed his concern about the direct election of judges contemplated by the reform.
He said that the reform has aspects “that are important and that should be done” to combat the corruption that exists in the judiciary, but he believed that “the direct election of judges, in my view and based on my life experience, will not resolve this judicial corruption nor will it strengthen the judiciary and it would also weaken efforts for economic integration and create turbulence, since the debate on the election of judges will continue for years to come.”
Salazar, who read a message to the press at his official residence in Mexico City, where he also answered some questions, said that his government is respectful of Mexican sovereignty and insisted that the reform initiative sent by President López Obrador should be changed by legislators in Congress before approving it, particularly with regard to the popular election of judges.
He said the selection of judges threatens “the historic business relationship we have built” and could “make it easier for cartels and other bad actors to take advantage of inexperienced judges for political motivations.”
He anticipated that if the reform is approved in its current terms, there will be controversies and actions in the United States, although he did not specify what kind of actions they will take.
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– 2024-08-25 11:24:14
