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4d ago

Mexico Completes First Judicial Elections with Record Low Participation

Fewer than one in seven voters cast ballots in the vote intended to democratize the courts, raising concerns over judicial independence and candidate ties to organized crime.

A supporter of Lenia Batres, who is running for election for the Mexican Supreme Court, holds an instruction sheet on how to vote, during her closing campaign rally in Mexico City, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Demonstrators shouts slogans against the country's first judicial elections at a protest near the Angel of Independence in Mexico City, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Image
Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum waves, as she stands with her husband Jesus Maria Tarriba, after voting at a polling station to vote during the judicial and magistrate election, in Mexico City, Mexico June 1, 2025. REUTERS/Toya Sarno Jordan

Overview

  • More than 2,600 judges and magistrates, including all Supreme Court justices, were put to a public vote for the first time in Mexico’s history.
  • Electoral authorities estimate turnout at between 12.6% and 13.3%, marking one of the lowest participation rates in the country’s modern democratic era.
  • President Claudia Sheinbaum hailed the elections as a democratic achievement, while critics argue that low engagement undercuts the process’s legitimacy.
  • Final results are scheduled for release after ballot counting concludes on June 15, determining the composition of the new judiciary.
  • Rights groups and experts have flagged numerous candidates with limited legal experience or past ties to organized crime, stoking fears of undue influence over the courts.