(CNN Spanish) – The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, announced that he plans for the judicial reform to be published on September 15, Sunday and the day before the celebrations for Mexican Independence since, he said, “it is a very important reform.”
This Thursday, the minimum of 17 states that, through their congresses, gave their endorsement to the ruling party’s project, previously approved by Congress, was reached and exceeded.
“The reform of the Judiciary has already been approved in all these states. Local congresses, a constitutional reform requires the approval of the Chamber of Deputies, the Chamber of Senators, with a qualified majority, plus half plus one of the states, of the federative entities,” AMLO detailed about the approval process of the reform.
“Just the publication is missing, that corresponds to the head of the Executive. Well, it would be good to think about it being published on September 15 because it is a very important reform. It is to reaffirm that in Mexico there is an authentic democracy. That the people elect their representatives. That the people elect the public servants of the three powers. That is a democracy. Not the elites. Not the so-called political class. Not the oligarchy. “Everyone, every citizen,” he added.
The challenges of electing judges and magistrates in Mexico
Once the bill was approved by the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, and passed through the state legislatures, it must be communicated to the Federal Executive, signed by the presidents of each of the chambers. At this time, it is up to the President of the Republic to express his agreement by sanctioning the law and ordering its promulgation or to express his disagreement by formulating objections to the project.
If the president agrees with the entire project, he will proceed to sanction it and order that it be promulgated as law. It should be noted that the sanction “is the act of acceptance of a bill or decree by the Executive Branch”, established in article 72 of the Mexican Constitution.
In accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, the opinions, without exception, “must be published in the Parliamentary Gazette no later than 48 hours before the start of the session in which they will be made available in the session.”
Constitutional reforms in Mexico begin to take effect on the same day they are published in the Official Gazette of the Federation, unless the Constituent Assembly establishes a specific date of entry into force.
United States Congressmen María Elvira Salazar and Greg Stanton presented a bipartisan resolution on Wednesday expressing their concern about the reform of the Judiciary in Mexico, proposed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Salazar, chairwoman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee of the US House of Representatives, and Stanton, a Democratic congressman from Arizona, say the reform would “radically change the judicial system” in Mexico, according to a statement.
“The reforms proposed by the current government threaten to return Mexico to the days of one-party rule,” Salazar said, referring to the period when the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) maintained a hegemonic system in the country for decades.
For his part, Stanton expressed concern as a representative of a border state that, he said, “benefits in many ways from our close relationship with Mexico.”
“However, I am deeply concerned that the proposed constitutional reforms endanger this shared economic and security interest,” he added in the statement.
CNN has requested comments from the Government of Mexico to find out its position on the resolution presented by Stanton and Salazar, with no response at the moment.
The rating agency Moody’s warned on Wednesday of the risk that the judicial reform in Mexico represents for its credit rating, according to its own report.
The report warns that the highest level of impact is faced by the country’s sovereign debt, which it classifies as high and “significant”, while for companies, energy and infrastructure it is moderate and for banks, low.
“The reform, which stipulates that judges be elected by popular vote, will erode checks and balances and could undermine Mexico’s economic and fiscal strength,” indicates the text published by the rating agency.
CNN has requested a comment from the Government of Mexico to find out its position on the Moody’s report, without receiving a response so far.
This Thursday, during his daily conference, the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, rejected the idea that the judicial reform will affect foreign investment in the country.
“It is not true that due to the judicial reform capital was leaving the country or foreign investment was not arriving. Pure story,” said the president of Mexico.
And he added: “Just to give you an idea, last year we achieved a record in foreign investment: US$35 billion. Record in the entire history of Mexico. And so far this year, in the first semester, there are already US$30 billion of investment.”
–With information from Natalia Cano, from CNN.
