MEXICO CITY: Mexico’s Supreme Court is poised to be dominated by judges considered close to the governing party, according to preliminary results from the unprecedented vote.
Sunday’s election follows highly contentious reforms that make Mexico the only country to let voters choose all of their judges, from local positions to Supreme Court justices.
President Claudia Sheinbaum has defended the election as a democratic means to overhaul the corruption-plagued court system. But critics warned it would erode judicial independence, leave more judges vulnerable to criminal influence and consolidate the ruling party’s power.
As officials tallied the few ballots cast in an election marked by low turnout, results for the nine Supreme Court seats trickled in first.
The new top court will be comprised of five women and four men, most of whom are aligned with the ruling Morena party, according to provisional results announced Monday night with 87 percent of ballots counted.
Several of the justices leading in the preliminary results are Morena party members.
The preliminary results also showed Hugo Aguilar, a member of the Mixtec Indigenous group and former advisor to the Zapatista guerrilla movement, on track to head the top court.
The constitutional law specialist was leading over Lenia Batres, a Supreme Court justice and member of the Morena party.
The election is the result of constitutional amendments proposed by former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador who frequently clashed with the courts as they blocked several of his flagship initiatives.
Congress, dominated by Morena party lawmakers, fast-tracked the judicial overhaul despite concerns that it would undermine checks and balances.
According to the National Electoral Institute, only around 13 percent of the approximately 100 million registered voters took part in the judicial poll.
More than 880 federal judge posts were up for grabs, as well as hundreds of local judicial and magistrate positions.
Results are expected to roll in through June 10.
Another election for the remainder of the judicial positions will be held in 2027.
