Mexico’s Supreme Court dismissed a proposal that would have scrapped significant chunks of a judicial reform package passed by Congress in September. A resolution that would have eliminated popular elections to pick district judges failed to muster enough support. Seven out of 11 justices voted in favor of the proposal, one less than the super majority required for it to pass.
The dismissal is a victory for Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who supported the reform championed by her mentor, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. It also averts a potential constitutional crisis, after Sheinbaum and ruling Morena party lawmakers insist judges do not have the mandate to overrule Congress’ constitutional amendments.
In a statement, the court emphasized that the ruling was not about the validity of the judicial overhaul, it only rejected the challenges from opposition political parties.
This means that Mexicans will hold two elections — next year and in 2027 — to pick 1,700 judges, including those of the Supreme Court, which will be reduced to nine magistrates.
(La Jornada, Animal Político, Associated Press, Reuters, New York Times, El País, El País)
Trump to challenge Sheinbaum
Donald Trump’s election in the U.S. could become Sheinbaum’s first major crisis. “Trump's campaign rhetoric, including 200% tariffs on cars coming from Mexico, mass deportations, and U.S. military action against drug cartels, puts Sheinbaum in a difficult position,” reports Reuters.
On Monday Trump closed his campaign threatening to impose tariffs as high as 100 percent on Mexico, unless it closes its border with the U.S. to migration, reports the Washington Post.
Such tariffs violate the free trade agreement negotiated under Trump’s first presidency, and invite retaliatory measures from Mexico — but such a stance would be pyrrhic. But even the threat of U.S. tariffs could have economic impact, reported the Los Angeles Times recently.
In the past Trump has taken a transactional approach to foreign policy, particularly with Mexico. Several experts say this could work to Sheinbaum’s advantage, ultimately. “Given Sheinbaum's stances so far, I expect a careful transition of policy to start today in Mexico, whether Trump's US transition is professional or chaotic, swift or slow,” writes James Bosworth at the Latin America Risk Report.
Yesterday Sheinbaum emphasized significant reductions in migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, and said sometimes U.S. politicians are unaware of Mexico’s efforts on this issue, reports Aristegui Noticias.
Migration
Approximately 3,000 migrants set off yesterday en masse from Tapachula in southern Mexico, headed toward the United States. (Reuters)
Regional Relations
World leaders started congratulating Trump on his electoral victory today. C-PAC allies Nayib Bukele, president of El Salvador, and Javier Milei, Argentine president, were among the first. Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro also celebrated the results.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva congratulated Trump, saying on social media that “Democracy is the voice of the people and it must always be respected. The world needs dialogue and joint work to have more peace, development and prosperity. I wish the new government luck and success.”
U.S. lawmakers allege Mexico is increasingly being used by Beijing as a backdoor to avoid tariffs, reports the Financial Times.
More Mexico
Mexico’s energy reform “could create a complex scenario for private investors,” reports Americas Quarterly.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum presented health policies that would bolster the public system with additional doctors and nurses, digitalization, and new equipment, reports El País.
At least 17 members of one family in Mexico’s Guerrero state have disappeared, reports El País.
Mexico City legislative commissions approved a decree that would remove abortion from the district’s criminal code — though abortion until 12 weeks has been decriminalized since 2007. (El País)
Brazil
Brazilian authorities are preparing to remove illegal gold miners from the Munduruku protected territory in the Amazon rainforest, home to Indigenous communities, that has been criss-crossed with informal airstrips and contaminated with mercury, an official said. (Reuters)
Colombia
In an era of environmental crises, women closest to the destruction must be heard, argues Colombian Indigenous and Afro-descendant rights activist Omaira Bolaños in the Guardian.
Argentina
Nearly one year into Milei’s government, university student “occupations embodied a symbolic and strategic escalation of resistance against not only Milei, but also Congress and university administrators, who many students say are complicit in putting universities on the chopping block in the country’s orthodox economic makeover,” writes Lucas Bricca in NACLA.
Antigua and Barbuda
Asot Michael, a member of Antigua and Barbuda's parliament, was found dead yesterday with a stab wound to his chest and other injuries, reports Reuters. The death sent shock waves across the country, reports the Guardian.
Caribbean
Hurricane Rafael passed the Cayman Islands yesterday and was expected to rapidly intensify before making landfall today in western Cuba. (Associated Press)
Panama
Indigenous Guna families on the Panamanian island of Gardi Sugdub became the first to undergo a climate-related relocation by the government this year, because of the threat of rising sea levels. Hundreds of residents moved to a new town built on the mainland. But many fear that the relocation has put their traditions and culture in peril, reports the Guardian.