Hundreds of protesters stormed Mexico’s Senate on Tuesday after Mexico’s ruling party attempted to push through a contentious plan to overhaul the country’s judiciary.
The ruling party, Morena, managed to get the votes needed for the law to pass after one member of an opposition party, the conservative National Action Party (PAN), flipped to support it.
Critics and observers say the plan, in which all judges would be elected, could threaten judicial independence and undermine the system of checks and balances.
There have been weeks of protests over the plan by judicial employees and law students.
Protesters attempt to break into a room in the Senate as lawmakers weigh the government’s proposed judicial reform, which would make judges stand for election, in Mexico City, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
Felix Marquez/AP
On Tuesday, the Senate was forced into a temporary recess after protesters breached the chamber in a bid to halt the vote.
The demonstrators, armed with pipes and chains, forced their way in, causing at least one person to faint.
Inside, protesters waved Mexican flags and signs denouncing the proposed judicial overhaul, shouting, “The judiciary isn’t going to fall!”
Opposition senators joined the protesters in chanting against the reform.
Outside the Senate, crowds erupted in cheers when news of the recess broke.
Debate on the reform moved to a different building, where further clashes between protesters and police, who used tear gas, were reported.
Protesters stand alongside opposition Senators after interrupting a debate over the government’s proposed judicial reform, which would make judges stand for election, in Mexico City, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
Felix Marquez/AP
Alejandro Navarrete, a 30-year-old judicial worker, said that people like him working in the courts “knowing the danger the reform represents” came to call on the Senate to strike down the proposal.
“They have decided to sell out the nation, and sell out for political capital they were offered, we felt obligated to enter the Senate,” he said, carrying a Mexican flag.
“Our intention is not violent, we didn’t intend to hurt them, but we intend to make it clear that the Mexican people won’t allow them to lead us into a dictatorship.”
The proposed overhaul had passed the lower house of Congress last week, though Morena lacked the necessary supermajority.
The plan had gained two opposition votes but was still one vote short earlier in the week.
Speculation grew that conservative Sen. Miguel Ángel Yunes Márquez might support the law.
On Tuesday, Yunes Márquez announced a leave of absence due to health issues, to be replaced by his father, Miguel Ángel Yunes Linares, who said he would vote for the plan despite acknowledging its flaws.
Protesters break into a Senate session in which lawmakers were debating the government’s proposed judicial reform, which would make judges stand for election, in Mexico City, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
Felix Marquez/AP
He said he knew the plan was “not the best” but said more laws down the line could improve it.
“Mexico is not going to be destroyed for approving this reform, nor will the reform automatically change the reality of a justice system that is calling out for fundamental change,” Yunes Linares said.
His arrival at the Senate was met with both applause from Morena senators and condemnation from his own party.
PAN Senator Lilly Téllez, hurled coins at Yunes Linares, labeling him a “traitor.”
PAN’s national leader, Marko Cortés, alleged an “impunity pact” between the Yunes family and the government.
Yunes Márquez faced an arrest order in July for alleged falsification of documents and fraud related to his candidacy.
Yunes had challenged it and got a temporary suspension, calling it a political persecution by the governing Morena party
Medics tend to an injured protester after demonstrators broke into the Senate interrupting a debate on the government’s proposed judicial reform, which would make judges stand for election, in Mexico City, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
Felix Marquez/AP
Should the reform pass the Senate, it will require ratification by 17 of Mexico’s 32 state legislatures, where the ruling party is believed to have sufficient support.
Outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador claims his plan would crack down on corruption by making it easier to punish judges.
Critics say it would handicap the judiciary, stack courts with judges favoring the president’s party, allow anyone with a law degree to become a judge and even make it easier for politicians and criminals to influence courts.
U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar has termed it a “risk” to democracy and a threat to economic stability.
Criticism of the reforms from the United States and Canada prompted the government to announce a “pause” in diplomatic relations with the two embassies last month.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
