Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known as AMLO, has criticized the United States for recent comments calling his proposed judicial reform a “danger” to Mexico's democracy.
In a news conference Friday morning, Lopez Obrador called the criticism “disrespectful” to Mexico's “national sovereignty.”
“I hope this doesn't happen again,” he added.
The Mexican government also announced that it would send a diplomatic note saying that the US comments “represent an unacceptable interference and violation of Mexico's sovereignty.”
The government's response came a day after US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar warned that the proposed judicial changes – which include putting judges up for election – could threaten the “historic trade relationship” between the two countries.
“Democracies cannot function without a strong, independent and uncorrupted judiciary,” Salazar told reporters.
He added that the proposed reform would “help cartels and other bad actors take advantage of inexperienced, politically motivated judges” and “create turmoil” — economically and politically — for years to come.
Salazar said on Friday that his comments, which were met with strong opposition in a country where the United States has a long history of interfering in its internal affairs, were made “in the spirit of cooperation.”
“I am fully prepared to engage in dialogue with the Mexican leadership on the direct election of judges and to exchange views on different models,” the US ambassador said in a social media post explaining his position.
Lopez Obrador, a populist president who has been widely criticized for attacking independent regulators, has long been at odds with Mexico's judiciary.
He claims that judges are part of a “mafia” that opposes him. He has framed his judicial reform as a way to cleanse the courts of corruption.
Under his plan, the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government would be able to nominate almost anyone with a law degree to serve as a judge.
These individuals are then vetted by special committees established by each branch to ensure that they have the necessary qualifications for service. Finally, the candidates are put to a popular vote.
The judicial reform has not yet been approved: the newly elected Congress is scheduled to take office on September 1.
But López Obrador is pushing the proposal as one of the main end goals of his presidency, which is limited to a single six-year term. He is scheduled to leave office on Sept. 30, with his handpicked successor, President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, inaugurated the following day.
Sheinbaum defended the proposal, and the coalition led by López Obrador's Morena party has a supermajority in the lower house of Congress.
Approval of the judicial plan requires a constitutional amendment, which requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers.
But critics fear the changes are an attempt by Lopez Obrador to weaken judicial independence.
This week, federal court workers, judges and academics went on strike to protest judicial reforms, which they say will pave the way for the courts to be stacked with politically biased judges.
They also warned that judicial reform could give Morena's party control of all three branches of government and deal a blow to checks and balances.
Julio Rios Figueroa, a law professor at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM) in Mexico City, told Al Jazeera's Joseph Stepansky earlier this week that the reforms could even destabilise the justice system.
The interests that express the direct choice of juices are the spirit of cooperation. As a community, we have an honest dialogue and are open to follow up with the great democratic and economic progress that we enjoy (Abreu Hilo 1/3).
– Ambassador Ken Salazar (USAmbMex) August 23, 2024
“This would create administrative chaos and uncertainty in many areas, and it would end judicial independence and judicial autonomy in Mexico,” Rios Figueroa said.
U.S. Ambassador Salazar expressed similar concerns on Thursday, though he acknowledged the need to address corruption in the Mexican government.
“The direct election of judges poses a threat to the functioning of democracy in Mexico, and to the integration of the American, Mexican and Canadian economies,” he said Thursday.
Canada's ambassador to Mexico, Graeme Clarke, also criticized the judicial reform during an event on Thursday.
“Investors are concerned. They want stability. They want a judicial system that works if there are problems,” he said.
But Clark stressed that the Canadian and Mexican governments have “excellent relations” and that he was only conveying investors' concerns.
