Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced that his staff was sending a diplomatic notice complaining about the actions of U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar by interfering in judicial reform. The reforms called for having judges in Mexico be elected rather than selected. The U.S. diplomat published a letter warning that the proposed judicial reform could damage the country’s democracy and hurt the commercial relationship between the two countries.
The issue at hand is one of the judicial reforms proposed by Lopez Obrador in February. It would have lower and higher court judges elected for a term of 12 months rather than appointed. The reform also includes other questionable measures, leading to widespread protests and calls for a strike from sitting judges.
On Thursday afternoon, Salazar posted on social media a statement on the proposed judicial reform.
Salazar mentioned that he had been in law practice for over 25 years and had served as Colorado’s Attorney General. He stated that he had served as a U.S. Senator and had traveled overseas to see firsthand how countries could not function without a “strong, independent and corruption-free judiciary.” He further stated that he believed that “popular direct election of judges is a major risk to the functioning of Mexico’s democracy.”
Salazar added that the reform should have safeguards to prevent the judiciary from falling into political corruption. The diplomat stated that direct elections could make it easier for cartels and others to take advantage of politically motivated and inexperienced judges. Salazar claimed that the measure could scare away foreign investors and damage the commercial relations between the two countries.
On Friday morning, Lopez Obrador said that Salazar’s letter was another example of U.S. interference in Mexico’s affairs. During his morning news conference, Lopez Obrador said that Salazar was disrespectful and announced that his staff would be sending a diplomatic note to the U.S. government, calling out Salazar’s interference.
“We won’t accept interference from foreign governments,” Lopez Obrador said.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
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