Mexico: Protesters block Congress over judicial reform – MPs vote in gym

After protesters blocked the entrance to the Mexican Congress on Tuesday to prevent a controversial judicial reform, lawmakers took the first steps to push the plan through in a nearby gymnasium.

The plan requires judges to stand for election, which critics say would represent a serious blow to the independence of the judiciary and the system of checks and balances.

The reform has sparked a wave of protests by judges, court employees and students across Mexico in recent weeks, reaching another turning point on Tuesday when demonstrators strung ropes across the entrances to the lower house of Congress to block lawmakers from entering. Earlier, the country's Supreme Court voted 8-3 in favor of joining the strikes, giving the protests additional weight.

“The party with the majority could take control of the judiciary, and that would be the end of democracy,” said protester Javier Reyes, a 37-year-old federal court employee. “They want to own Mexico.”

Nevertheless, lawmakers from Mexico's ruling Morena party and their allies seemed determined to pass the reform quickly. Unable to meet in the congress building, they instead gathered in a sweltering gymnasium about five kilometers away to begin the voting process. The party's strong majority in the recently formed Congress paves the way for the reform to move through the process with relative ease.

The proposal sparked hours of heated debate on Tuesday night after workers laid out grapes, juices and other snacks in a congressional session reminiscent of a summer camp. While politicians from Morena declared they would build a justice system that would be a model for the world, opposition MPs from the National Action Party (PAN) railed against the ruling party.

“We should build a wall of shame that says: 'Today begins the downfall of our Republic' and on it should be the date and all the faces of Morena's congresswomen,” shouted Paulina Rubio Fernández, a PAN congresswoman, surrounded by other members of her party.

Rubio Fernández accused the president and his party of “lying” to gain a majority in Congress, while another colleague from her party warned that Morena would “shoot itself in the foot” by passing the reform.

Outside, a group of protesters shouted, blocked the streets and demanded that parliamentarians listen to their objections to the proposal.

The constitutional reforms put forward by outgoing President Andrés Manuel L³pez Obrador and Morena have drawn criticism both at home and from foreign governments and investors. L³pez Obrador, a populist who has long been at odds with the judiciary and other independent regulators, claims the proposal is necessary to fight corruption.

Critics say the reform would lead to a staffing of the courts in favor of L³pez Obrador's party, politicize the judicial system and pose a threat to foreign investment.

Under the current system, judges and clerks, who act as assistants to judges, slowly qualify for higher positions based on their performance. But under the proposed changes, any lawyer with minimal qualifications could run, with some candidacies being decided by lot.

The Morena party has the two-thirds majority in Congress needed to pass the reforms, which should be easy to pass in the lower house of Congress. The party's leader in Congress, Ricardo Monreal, said there were no plans to abandon the reforms, noting: “This reform is being pushed forward.” Monreal told MPs they were in for a long night on Tuesday.

Mexican courts have long been plagued by corruption and a lack of transparency, but over the past 15 years they have undergone reforms to make them more open and accountable, including moving many trials from closed courts and paperwork to a more open oral argument format.

There are claims at home and abroad that the new changes could represent a setback in efforts to clean up the courts.

US Ambassador Ken Salazar said on Tuesday there was “great concern.” He claimed the changes “could be very damaging to relations, and I'm not the only one saying that.” Salazar cited the selection of judges as his main criticism of the reform, pointing out that it would negatively impact investment and the Mexican economy.

L³pez Obrador said last week he had “put on hold” relations with the embassies of the United States and Canada after both countries expressed concerns about the planned judicial reform.

President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, a close ally of L³pez Obrador, defended the reform again on Tuesday evening, writing on the social media platform X that it “does not affect our trade relations or national or foreign private investment. On the contrary, there will be more and better rule of law and more democracy for all.”

“If judges, officials and ministers are elected by the people, where is the authoritarianism?” she added.

The proposed changes would affect around 7,000 judges at various levels and introduce a deadline for deciding many cases to counter the tendency for some trials to drag on for decades. More controversially, the reforms also envisage the introduction of “masked judges” for organised crime cases; their identities would be kept secret to prevent reprisals.

And the courts would be largely stripped of their power to block government projects or laws based on citizen objections. It would also almost certainly ensure that the president's party will retain a significant hold on political power even when L³pez Obrador leaves office at the end of this month.

After Morena and its allies won an overwhelming majority in the June 2 elections, L³pez Obrador promised to push for further constitutional changes that would abolish most independent regulatory and oversight bodies.

Still, protesters like Reyes do not give up hope that their week-long demonstrations will bear fruit, chanting in unison: “Mexico, stay strong, justice will come.”

In front of a wall covered with murals depicting López Obrador's face, protesters chanted “Hasta siempre, presidente.” My president forever.