— by Gustavo Franco —
On June 1, Mexicans once again in a year went to the polls, but this time it was not to choose legislators or the President, it was to elect various positions in the Judiciary System.
People voted to choose: Ministers of the Supreme Court of Justice, Magistrates of the newly created Court of Judicial Discipline, Magistrates of the Superior & Regional Chambers of the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary, as well as District Judges.
It is important to point out that this election cost to Sheinbaum’s government 7550 million pesos (392 million dollars). The truth is that only 13 million people turned out to vote on an electoral roll that reached 100 million of voters. From the outset, it was clear that the elections were going to be complex, due to: The lack of dynamism of the INE (National Electoral Institute) website to consult the profiles, the necessity to write the number of the candidate of your preference on the ballot paper, as well as the short time available for campaigning.
Internationally, is the first time in the globe that a national election of this kind has been held, as in countries such as Bolivia and the U.S.A. judges are chosen in certain states or provinces. It was odd that this event had no repercussions on the international scene as had been thought; on the opposite, an interest was generated in 25 international observers from 15 countries, including the OAS (Organization of American States), the group’s final verdict was that the election was peaceful and highlighted the hard work of the electoral authorities in organizing an election in five months. The fact is that the federal government worked to say that this election was the option to guarantee greater security when the companies came to investing in our country.
Without a doubt, this is proof that it is possible to democratize a country’s judicial system, but it must always be kept separate from partisan issues, setting a precedent in the region and in the entire globe.
