Protesters storm Mexican senate, forcing pause on judicial reform debate

Judicial workers, one wearing a 'lucha libre' wrestling mask, protest the government's proposed judicial reform, outside the Senate in Mexico City, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Eduardo Verdugo / AP Photo)

MEXICO CITY — Mexico's Senate paused debate of a controversial judicial overhaul on Tuesday after protesters broke into the building, adding drama to already tense discussions of the reform, which critics fear could undermine the country's rule of law.

Senate President Jose Gerardo Fernandez said the session was "suspended" and asked lawmakers to remain calm as demonstrators flooded the upper level of the chamber, chanting "traitors" in opposition to the reform, which has prompted weeks of widespread protest.

Mexico's major trading partners, the United States and Canada, have warned the changes could undermine the trade pact of the three countries, the USMCA, and negatively impact investment.

The backbone of the constitutional reform, proposed by outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, calls for the election by popular vote of more than 6,500 judges and magistrates, including the Supreme Court.

Lopez Obrador and President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum have vigorously defended the reform as essential for holding judges accountable and reducing corruption.

Critics have attacked it as a blatant doubling-down of power by ruling party Morena.

As senators debated the reform, opposition lawmakers accused the ruling bloc of underhanded tactics to secure the necessary two-thirds majority.

The vote, which will likely go into the early hours of Wednesday morning, is expected to be tight, with the ruling coalition formally one senator short.

But speculation is mounting that opposition PAN Senator Miguel Angel Yunes has switched allegiance to the ruling bloc over the reform.

While the Senate was in session, Yunes requested medical leave in a letter read by the secretary of the Senate's board of directors. His father, acting as his substitute, did not say which way he would vote but was booed by PAN lawmakers who expect him to favor the reform.

The reform also proposes reducing the number of Supreme Court justices to nine from 11, shortening their terms to 12 years and cutting required work experience from 10 to five years.

(Reporting by Cassandra Garrison; additional reporting by Diego Ore; editing by Stephen Eisenhammer, Alistair Bell and Leslie Adler)