On Sunday, Mexico made history by holding its first-ever judicial elections. This unprecedented effort was intended to staff about 900 federal jobs, including all nine Supreme Court justices. The elections were clouded by issues of record low voter turnout and widespread misconduct by election officials. Even with 100 million citizens eligible to vote, less than 13% showed up to cast a ballot—which had many experts and election observers deeply worried.
Claudia Sheinbaum, the head of the ruling party Morena, called the election successful even with the atrocious turnout. She emphasized that voting is voluntary in Mexico and noted, “So, 13 million people decided to vote in an exercise for the judiciary. That is very good.” Despite this, Sheinbaum days later denounced the handing out of pamphlets recommending candidates to voters, demanding an investigation into such practices.
Those pamphlets, as it happens, included a clear spotlight on all nine candidates competing for the Supreme Court seats. This, in turn, resulted in the opposition accusing Morena members of conducting dirty campaigning practices, all of which clouded the election’s legitimacy. Víctor Manuel Alarcón Olguín, a research professor at UAM-Iztapalapa, illustrated his critiques of the judicial elections’ design. Yet, he raised alarms about the integrity of the election process itself.
“Many of these people, at best, do not show an affiliation or such an obvious participation with the ruling party,” Alarcón stated. In particular, he underscored how many candidates had wide-ranging interests and connections that brought them inextricably closer to the state. That should leave anyone concerned about the independence of the new, elected judiciary wondering.
According to preliminary results, candidates tied to the political party Morena secured the majority of judicial seat victories. Among the predicted winners are three bench justices previously appointed by President of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador. There have been big changes within the Supreme Court as well. In October, eight justices publicly declared their resignations and decided to withdraw from these elections. At least most of these resignations will be effective on August 31, 2025. The timing couldn’t be better, as this will coincide with the new court getting underway.
Despite wide criticism, including from the UN and World Bank, in September 2022 López Obrador’s administration ratified the judicial elections. Supporters claimed that this reform would help combat corruption and impunity in the judicial system. The low turnout has sparked debates regarding public trust in the electoral process and the effectiveness of such reforms.
A subsequent confirmation vote for all 900+ judicial appointments is scheduled for 2027. This year’s event will provide citizens with a unique opportunity to interact with the bedrock of our country’s judicial system. As this first election unfolded amid allegations and criticism, it remains to be seen how these developments will impact Mexico’s legal landscape and public perception of its institutions.
