Mexico’s ruling Morena party seems poised to gain control over the Supreme Court, according to initial results from the country’s first judicial election. As votes continued to be counted for the majority of the 2,600 federal, state, and local judge positions up for election on Sunday, results for the nine Supreme Court positions started to come in.
The majority of the newly elected justices have close ties and ideological alignments with the ruling party, which has shifted the once fairly balanced high court into the hands of the party that initiated the judicial system overhaul for electing judges. Experts have raised concerns that this shift could undermine checks and balances in the Latin American nation, as the governing party would now be close to controlling all three branches of government. This would provide President Claudia Sheinbaum and her party with an easier path to push through their agenda.
The election results have raised political controversy, as critics had feared that Morena would gain control of the judiciary. The judicial reform, pushed through by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the party, aimed to elect judges instead of appointing them based on merit. Critics argue that this reform was an attempt to stack the courts in favor of the party, while supporters believe that it will help root out corruption in the broken judicial system.
The election saw low participation rates of about 13% and confusion among voters regarding the new voting system. Morena is likely to use its newfound lack of counterweight in the high court to push through various reforms, including electoral changes. As of late Monday, over 85% of the ballots had been counted, with counting set to continue overnight.
Among the leading Supreme Court candidates, Hugo Aguilar Ortiz emerged as a surprise front-runner. The Indigenous lawyer, known for his activism in fighting for the rights of Indigenous Mexicans and criticizing corruption in the judiciary, led all other candidates. Other candidates include Lenia Batres, Yasmín Esquivel, Loretta Ortiz, María Estela Ríos González, Giovanni Figueroa Mejía, Irving Espinosa Betanzo, Arístides Rodrigo Guerrero García, and Sara Irene Herrerías Guerra.
Overall, the election results indicate a significant shift in the composition of Mexico’s Supreme Court, with potential implications for the country’s judicial system and governance.
