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https://theconversation.com/will-elections-for-judges-make-mexico-the-most-democratic-country-in-the-world-critics-fear-the-opposite-257730>
"On Sunday, Mexico will hold an unprecedented election, becoming the first
country in the world to allow voters to elect judges at every level.
Voters will elect approximately half the judges in the country on June 1 – from
the nine members of the Supreme Court down to 850 federal judges and thousands
more at lower levels. In 2027, a second vote will see the rest of Mexico’s
judiciary elected.
As part of the overhaul, the country’s merit-based, career judiciary system
will be abolished. Instead, all judges will serve nine-year terms, renewable by
popular vote.
The election had been championed by former president Andrés Manuel López
Obrador and embraced by his successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office in
October.
Sheinbaum has proclaimed Mexico will be “the most democratic country in the
world” because the people will now choose all three branches of government.
Critics are not so sure. Some are calling the process a cynical farce. Others
warn it will concentrate power in Morena, the ruling party, and its political
allies, dismantling the country’s system of checks and balances.
Critics also warn that inexperienced judges could be elected, or those who
could be influenced by organised crime. Some candidates themselves have been
investigated for crimes, and at least two are former defence attorneys for drug
cartels.
Former president Ernesto Zedillo, currently director at the Yale Centre for the
Study of Globalisation, has gone so far as to declare that democracy itself
“has come to an end” in Mexico."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
