The reforms were contentious from the beginning. To protest the constitutional amendment, thousands of court employees went on strike. Even the Senate building was taken by protesters.
The Morena party, according to critics, allegedly sought to elect sympathetic judges to strengthen its hold on power. The party already has majority seats in both the presidency and the Congress chambers.
The elections also sparked rumors that unqualified candidates would take office.
Candidates must have a law degree, legal experience, no criminal record, and letters of recommendation in accordance with the new rules.
Additionally, candidates had to pass evaluation committees made up of members from the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.
Despite this, some of the final candidates have raised questions. For methamphetamine trafficking, one was detained. Another person is a part of a murder investigation. More people have been charged with sexual misconduct.
Arias believes that some candidates were unable to pass the election-related screening process due to limited resources.
Since the reforms were only approved in September, she noted that the National Election Institute only had ten months to organize the elections.
She claimed that “the timing is very rushed.”
Silvia Delgado, a lawyer who once defended Joaqun “El Chapo” Guzman, the cofounder of the Sinaloa Cartel, is one of the most contentious candidates for Sunday’s election.
She is currently running for governor in the border state of Chihuahua, Ciudad Juarez.
Delgado claimed she was only practicing law as a lawyer despite the attention she received from prominent clients.
She said, “Having represented this or that person does not imply that you are a member of a criminal organization.”
She contends instead that Mexico’s current judges are entitled to scrutiny. She claimed that many of them benefited from personal connections to win positions.
She said, “They came through a recommendation or a family member who helped them enter the court.”
In addition, President Sheinbaum framed the elections as a means of addressing the judicial system’s struggle against nepotism and self-dealing.
Source: Aljazeera
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