Mexico follows Bolivia’s ill-judged precedent on electing judges

Bolivia is the only country in the world that elects its top judges. It isn’t going well: the courts have become “a prize to control, the opposite of being a neutral arbiter,” says The Economist. Nevertheless, Mexico is about to follow suit. Despite protesters storming congress on Wednesday, the country’s senate approved a plan by 86 to 41 to elect all judges by popular vote, shifting away from a nomination-based system and loosening the requirements to serve. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico’s outgoing president, has championed the plan, arguing it will end corruption and modernise the judiciary. Critics say it’s about giving his ruling party more power. The US, Mexico’s biggest trading partner, is spooked, as are financial markets – the peso has fallen roughly 15 per cent since elections in June. Obrador’s handpicked successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, takes office next month. So far, she’s backed the changes.