Mexico president defends judicial reform after US criticism

Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and his elected successor defended a judicial reform plan on Monday, saying the U.S. ambassador’s criticism that it would threaten Mexican democracy was interference with domestic affairs.

A committee in Mexico’s lower house was expected to consider the plan, which includes electing judges by popular vote, later on Monday. If it approves the measure, the proposal would advance to a debate by the full body, possibly by early September.

Asked in a morning press conference whether he thought the United States was interfering in Mexico’s domestic affairs, Lopez Obrador said this was the case.

U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar on Thursday labeled the judicial reform as a threat to Mexican democracy, arguing it would expose its judiciary to the influence of organized crime, and said it put the U.S.-Mexico trade relationship at risk.

The United States and Mexico are each other’s top trading partners, and the U.S. has increasingly opened factories in the neighboring country as it seeks to move its supply chains from China closer to home.

On Monday, Lopez Obrador emphasized the need to respect nations’ sovereignty while assuring that relations remain friendly with Salazar and U.S. President Joe Biden.

Nothing “rational” could cause a break in U.S.-Mexican trade relations, Lopez Obrador said.

In a conference to present the next head of Mexico’s state oil firm on Monday, President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, who takes office in October, emphasized that the judicial reform aimed to improve democracy and had been carefully drafted to ensure candidates are legitimate.

“We will always have a dialogue with our trade partners such as the United States, but we don’t need to discuss everything,” she said. “Some issues are up to Mexican citizens.”