Mexico – Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in press conference recently, “There is a pause,” clarifying the freeze was with the embassies and not with the countries. Obrador is pushing a reform to elect judges, including Supreme Court justices, by popular vote. A committee in the lower house of Mexico’s Congress passed the proposal earlier, paving the way for it to be approved when the newly elected Congress takes office in September. Experts say the reform will boost democracy and help fix a system that they argue does not serve the public.
US Ambassador Ken Salazar last week labeled the reform a “major risk to the functioning of Mexico’s democracy” and cautioned of a potential risk to the US-Mexico trade relationship. Canada’s ambassador to Mexico, Graeme Clark, also warned of investment concerns.