In a world first, Mexico elects judges by popular vote

 

Polls opened in Mexico on Sunday morning for the world's first judicial elections, with nearly 100 million voters participating.

Voting began at 8:00 a.m. local time (2:00 p.m. UTC) in 32 states across the country. 881 judges, justices of the peace, and ministers of the Supreme Court of the Nation will be chosen from among 3,422 candidates in the judicial corps at the federal and local levels.

These elections follow a controversial constitutional reform initiated by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, which was approved by Congress in September 2024.

In addition to the popular vote for judges, the reform included reducing the number of ministers of the Supreme Court of the Nation, the country's highest judicial body, from 11 to 9. It also paved the way for the creation of a judicial disciplinary court.

Last Saturday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called on Mexicans to vote in the judicial elections and make this "a unique experience in the world" a success.

According to the electoral authority, voting for these elections ends at 6:00 PM local time (midnight GMT), with turnout and preliminary results announced the same day.