Politics Mexico freezes contact with US and Canadian embassies
Following criticism of a planned judicial reform in Mexico, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has frozen relations with the ambassadors of the USA and Canada. There will be a pause until the diplomatic representatives of both countries show respect for Mexico's internal decisions, said the left-leaning head of state and government. Among other things, the controversial reform provides for the direct election of all federal judges by the people.
27.08.2024, 20:56
SDA
In view of the legislative initiative, US Ambassador Ken Salazar and Canadian Ambassador Graeme Clark had expressed concerns about the future independence of the Mexican judiciary. The proposed constitutional amendments could have a negative impact on trade relations with Mexico. The three countries are parties to the North American Free Trade Agreement USMCA. Mexico is also the USA's most important trading partner.
In protest against the reform, around 1,700 Mexican federal judges have been on indefinite strike for a week. Thousands of employees in the judiciary have also gone on strike. The federal courts only deal with urgent cases.
López Obrador is only president for another month
The ambassadors' statements were reckless, López Obrador told journalists. "They must learn to respect Mexico's sovereignty". Bilateral relations with the governments of the USA and Canada were not affected by the pause.
The nationalist president, who is very popular in Mexico, ends his six-year term in office in just over a month. His political heir Claudia Sheinbaum, who also supports the judicial reform, will succeed him on October 1 as the country's first female president.
