Controversial judicial reform passes Mexican Senate after protesters break into chamber

(CNN) — The Mexican Senate narrowly passed a controversial judicial reform early Wednesday, hours after protesters broke into the chamber in a chaotic scene and forced a suspension of the proceedings.

The Senate vote was the last major hurdle for the sweeping constitutional reform, under which Mexicans would elect judges at all levels of government by a popular vote.

Opposition has swelled in recent weeks to the effort, which has been championed by the outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Judicial staff across the country, including from the Supreme Court, have been on strike, shuttering most courthouse activity.

Dramatic footage from the Senate showed protesters bursting through a door to the floor after a chaotic scrum with officials, while others waved the Mexican flag and chanted from a gallery above. Some lawmakers were seen cheering on the demonstrators.

At least one person was injured in the unrest, according to the Senate communications team, and an opposition senator said protesters threw gasoline in his eyes.

López Obrador, a popular leftist, has long been critical of his country’s Supreme Court after it stood in the way of some of his signature policy proposals. He has said the overhaul is necessary to rid Mexico’s judiciary of corruption and ensure it is responsive to popular will.

He welcomed the result of the vote at a press briefing on Wednesday in which he acknowledged the controversy surrounding the reform. “Well, it is a decision that the legislators made and I would say freely. This does not satisfy many. Others, yes, are pleased that this reform has been approved. I am among the latter,” he said.

His successor, President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, who takes office in October, echoed those sentiments.

“With the election of judges, magistrates, and ministers, the administration of justice in our country will be strengthened. The regime of corruption and privileges is becoming more and more a thing of the past and a true democracy and a true rule of law are being built,” she wrote on X.

Critics of the reform call it a power grab that will compromise one of the last remaining checks on presidential power. Legal experts say the proposed procedure would turn Mexico into an international outlier.

The Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Human Rights Center slammed the Senate’s approval on Wednesday, saying the reform “annuls the division of powers” and generates “democratic erosion.”

The reform sailed through the lower chamber of Congress last week, but López Obrador’s ruling coalition needed a supermajority to approve it in the upper house.

In recent days, opposition lawmakers have reported being bribed and pressured with blackmail to change their vote, according to Senator Guadalupe Murguía, the coordinator of senators for the National Action Party (PAN).

After reconvening in a second location that was fortified by dozens of police officers in riot gear, the reform passed, with 86 votes in favor, 41 against and zero abstentions.

A majority of Mexico’s 32 state legislatures must now approve the overhaul, which is expected to happen.

On Wednesday, Oaxaca and Tamaulipas became the first and second states to ratify it, just hours after the Senate’s approval.

The first judicial elections could take place as soon as next year.

The reform faced a rare and stinging critique from US Ambassador Ken Salazar in Mexico City, in which he called the election of judges “a major risk to the functioning of Mexico’s democracy.”

His comments have led to a spat between the countries. Warnings from business groups that the reform could undermine the Mexican investment environment have sent the value of the peso tumbling.

Supreme Court judges in Mexico are usually nominated by the president and must be approved in the Senate. Federal judges are selected by a judicial commission that uses professional exams and coursework to evaluate candidates on a meritocratic basis.

If adopted, about 7,000 judges would be required to battle for their seats, or turn the gavel over to the most popular candidate.

This story has been updated.

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