Mexico’s Senate has approved a controversial judicial reform under which judges will be elected by popular vote.
Its supporters say the changes will make judges more accountable to the Mexican people but critics argue it undermines the country’s system of checks and balances and will strengthen the power of the governing Morena party.
The bill has triggered strikes and protests, with demonstrators earlier breaking into the building where the vote was due to take place.
The Senate vote was the last major hurdle facing the legislation, which has the backing of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
During a dramatic late-night session, the debate had to be paused when protesters chanting “the judiciary will not fall” stormed the chamber where senators were gathered.
After lawmakers moved to a different building, the vote went ahead in the early hours of Wednesday local time.
Senators were called one by one by their names and asked to cast their vote.
Senator Miguel Ángel Yunes broke ranks with his opposition National Action Party and voted in favour of the reform, meaning it gained the two-thirds majority needed for constitutional change.
Legislators then continued to debate a number of points in detail before giving the reform its final approval. Its passage is a victory for President López Obrador, whose term is coming to an end on 30 September.
Credit: bbc.com
