President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced that the Mexican government has suspended contact with the US and Canadian embassies in the nation after their ambassadors rejected a judicial reform proposal that he supports.
Obrador stated at a press conference that There is a pause, emphasizing that the freeze was with the embassies, not the countries.
The president is pressing for a reform that would allow judges, including Supreme Court justices, to be elected by public vote.
A committee in the lower house of Mexico’s Congress passed the proposal late on Monday, paving the way for it to be approved when the newly elected Congress takes office in September.
Proponents say the reform will boost democracy and help fix a system that they argue does not serve the public, while critics say it will skew power in favor of the executive, cut off judges’ careers, and make the courts more susceptible to criminal influence.
Meanwhile, US Ambassador Ken Salazar last week labeled the reform a “major risk to the functioning of Mexico’s democracy” and cautioned of a potential risk to the US-Mexico trade relationship.
The US and Mexico are each other’s largest trade partners.
Canada’s ambassador to Mexico, Graeme Clark, also warned of investment concerns.
Lopez Obrador had criticised what he called Salazar’s interference in internal politics.
Salazar had previously said he was open to speaking with Mexican government leaders to discuss different judicial models.
Lopez Obrador said the ‘pause’ would continue until “there was confirmation that the embassies would respect Mexico’s independence.”
The diplomatic note from the U.S. said the country had the “utmost respect for Mexico’s sovereignty.”
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