A convicted drug criminal and the former lawyer of drug cartel boss Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán Loera hope to become judges in Mexico next weekend. The people will then directly elect the judges for the first time.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced controversial judicial reforms last October. That judges are now elected by the people is one of the most important parts of it.
The plans come from the mind of the previous president López Obrador, a party member of Sheinbaum. Elections should restore confidence in the judiciary and combat corruption. Critics, on the other hand, say that the reforms will have the opposite effect.
On June 1, there will be elections for new judges. About five thousand people have applied for the 840 available places. Among them are a number of striking candidates.
In the state of Durango, Leopoldo Chavez is on the ballot. He spent nearly six years in the United States for drug smuggling. “I don’t claim to be a perfect candidate,” he says on Facebook. But he says he has nothing to hide.
In the state of Jalisco, former judge Francisco Hernandez hopes to regain his old position. He was removed from office due to allegations of corruption and sexual abuse. According to Hernandez, none of this is true. “Let the people judge,” he tells news agency Reuters.
The former lawyer of drug cartel boss El Chapo is making an attempt in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. He believes that he should not be blamed for being the lawyer of the notorious El Chapo. In fact, the knowledge and skills with which he advised the drug lord, he says, make him a valuable asset as a judge.
Concerns About Compliance with Selection Criteria
The Mexican human rights organization Defensorxs says that there is an aura of corruption and crime around at least twenty candidates. Some candidates are also said to have ties to drug cartels. One of them is Fernando Escamilla, the lawyer who has assisted ‘El Chapo’ in the past.
Defensorxs President Miguel Meza therefore has major doubts about compliance with the selection criteria, he tells Reuters. For example, candidates must not only have Mexican nationality, but also be of good conduct and have at least a bachelor’s degree in Law.
The international legal non-profit watchdog OEJ is also raising the alarm about the direct elections of judges in Mexico. For example, more than 130 candidates can already fill in the election victory in the absence of opponents. The ballots are also said to be difficult to understand.