Mexico holds controversial vote to elect judges – DW – 06/02/2025
Mexico held its first judicial elections Sunday, making it the only nation in the world to select judges and magistrates by popular vote.
Supporters of the controversial election believe this is needed to overhaul its judicial system known for corruption and inefficiency.
But critics say the vote will politicize the judiciary in a country plagued by crime and gang violence.
President Claudia Sheinbaum has staunchly defended the decision to hold these elections. The elections were championed by her predecessor and mentor, former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
"Those who want the regime of corruption and privileges in the judiciary to continue say this election is rigged. Or they also say it's so a political party can take over the Supreme Court. Nothing could be further from the truth," she said in a video message.
Opponents of the vote marched in Mexico City, chanting slogans like "hands off our democracy" and "no to electoral fraud."
"It was the last counterweight we had against the totalitarianism of the executive branch," 58-year-old Ismael Novela told AFP news agency about the judiciary.
Tough task for voters
Voters had to elect around 880 federal judges — including Supreme Court justices — as well as hundreds of local judges and magistrates. Another election for the remaining judicial positions will be held in 2027.
Turnout appeared to be low as many voters struggled to choose from hundreds of largely unknown candidates.
"We are not very prepared. I think we need more information," Lucia Calderon, a 63-year-old university teacher told AFP.
Some voters said they felt pressurized to vote, while others said they felt disillusioned with the corrupt system.
"I'm not interested (in voting). Parties and their messages — they come and they go. It's all the same," Raul Bernal, a factory worker told the AP news agency.
Rights group Defensorxs said it considered around 20 candidates "high risk," including Silvia Delgado, a former lawyer for the Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
Hundreds of thousands displaced by gang violence in Mexico
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
3 hours ago
- DW
Trump accuses Obama of 'treason,' without providing evidence – DW – 07/23/2025
Donald Trump has accused his predecessor of treason over a probe into Russian interference with the 2016 election. Trump made the remarks while deflecting questions about an investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. US President Donald Trump accused former President Barack Obama of "treason" on Tuesday without providing evidence. Trump cited his intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard, who on Friday declassified documents that allegedly showed how Obama administration laid the groundwork for an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. "It's there, he's guilty. This was treason," Trump said in the Oval Office on Tuesday. "They tried to steal the election, they tried to obfuscate the election. They did things that nobody's ever imagined, even in other countries," Trump claimed, without offering any proof. Trump's remarks came as he deflected questions from journalists about the Justice Department's decision to interview Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of helping the financier sexually abuse underage girls and is now serving a lengthy prison sentence. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The office of the former president later hit back with a statement saying Trump's "bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction." "Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response," said Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush. "But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one." A 2017 assessment by the US intelligence community concluded that Russia used social media disinformation, hacking and bot farms to damage Democrat Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and bolster Trump. But the same assessment determined that the impact was likely limited and there was no evidence that Russia's efforts altered the election outcome. In 2020, a bipartisan report by the Senate Intelligence Committee — spearheaded by then acting chairman Marco Rubio, now Trump's secretary of state — found that the Trump campaign sought to "maximize the impact" of leaks of Democratic documents stolen by Russian military intelligence.
Int'l Business Times
3 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Hungry And Exhausted, AFP Journalists Document Gaza War
AFP journalists in the Gaza Strip said Tuesday that chronic food shortages are affecting their ability to cover Israel's conflict with Hamas militants. Palestinian text, photo and video journalists working for the international news agency said desperate hunger and lack of clean water is making them ill and exhausted. Some have even had to cut back on their coverage of the war, now in its 22nd month, with one journalist saying "we have no energy left due to hunger". The United Nations in June condemned what it claimed was Israel's "weaponisation of food" in Gaza and called it a war crime, as aid agencies urge action and warnings about malnutrition multiply. Israel says humanitarian aid is being allowed into Gaza and accuses Hamas of exploiting civilian suffering, including by stealing food handouts to sell at inflated prices or shooting at those awaiting aid. Witnesses and Gaza's civil defence agency, however, have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of firing on aid seekers, with the UN saying the military had killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food since late May. Bashar Taleb, 35, is one of four AFP photographers in Gaza who were shortlisted for the prestigious Pulitzer Prize earlier this year. He lives in the bombed-out ruins of his home in Jabalia al-Nazla, in northern Gaza. "I've had to stop working multiple times just to search for food for my family and loved ones," he said. "I feel for the first time utterly defeated emotionally. "I've tried so much, knocked on many doors to save my family from starvation, constant displacement and persistent fear but so far to no avail." Another Pulitzer nominee, Omar al-Qattaa, 35, is staying in the remains of his wife's family's home after his own apartment was destroyed. "I'm exhausted from carrying heavy cameras on my shoulders and walking long distances," he said. "We can't even reach coverage sites because we have no energy left due to hunger and lack of food." Qattaa relies on painkillers for a back complaint, but said basic medicines were not available in pharmacies, and the lack of vitamins and nutritious food have added to his difficulties. The constant headaches and dizziness he has suffered due to lack of food and water have also afflicted AFP contributor Khadr Al-Zanoun, 45, in Gaza City, who said he has even collapsed because of it. "Since the war began, I've lost about 30 kilos (66 pounds) and become skeletal compared to how I looked before the war," he said. "I used to finish news reports and stories quickly. Now I barely manage to complete one report per day due to extreme physical and mental fatigue and near-delirium." Worse, though, was the effect on his family, he said. "They're barely hanging on," he added. Eyad Baba, another photojournalist, was displaced from his home in Rafah, in the south, to a tent in Deir el-Balah, in central Gaza, where the Israeli military this week began ground operations for the first time. But he could not bear life in the sprawling camp, so he instead rented an apartment at an inflated price to try to at least provide his family some comfort. Baba, 47, has worked non-stop for 14 months, away from his family and friends, documenting the bloody aftermath of bullets and bombs, and the grief that comes with it. Hardest to deal with, though, is the lack of food, he said. "I can no longer bear the hunger. Hunger has reached my children and has shaken my resolve," he added. "We've psychologically endured every kind of death during our press coverage. Fear and the sense of looming death accompany us wherever we work or live." Working as a journalist in Gaza is to work "under the barrel of a gun", he explained, but added: "The pain of hunger is sharper than the fear of bombing. "Hunger robs you of focus, of the ability to think amid the horrors of war." The director of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, Mohammed Abu Salmiya, warned on Tuesday that Gaza was heading towards "alarming numbers of deaths" due to lack of food, revealing that 21 children had died from malnutrition and starvation in the last three days. AFP text journalist Ahlam Afana, 30, said an exhausting "cash crisis" -- from exorbitant bank charges and sky-high prices for what food is available -- was adding to the issue. Cash withdrawals carry fees of up to 45 percent, said Zanoun, with high prices for fuel -- where it is available -- making getting around by car impossible, even if the streets were not blocked by rubble. "Prices are outrageous," said Afana. "A kilo of flour sells for 100-150 shekels ($30-45), beyond our ability to buy even one kilo a day. "Rice is 100 shekels, sugar is over 300 shekels, pasta is 80 shekels, a litre of oil is 85-100 shekels, tomatoes 70-100 shekels. Even seasonal fruits now -- grapes, figs -- cost 100 shekels per kilo. "We can't afford them. I don't even remember how they taste." Afana said she keeps working from a worn-out tent in intense heat that can reach more than 30C, but going days without food and only some water makes it a struggle. "I move slowly, unlike before," she said. "The danger isn't just the bombing. Hunger is slowly killing our bodies and threatening our ability to carry on. "Now, I'm not just reporting the news. I'm living the catastrophe and documenting it at the same time." Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on July 8 that more than 200 journalists had been killed in Gaza since Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war. Video journalist Youssef Hassouna, 48, said the loss of colleagues, friends and family had tested him as a human being "in every possible way". But despite "a heavy emptiness", he said he carries on. "Every frame I capture might be the last trace of a life buried beneath the earth," he added. "In this war, life as we know it has become impossible." Zuheir Abu Atileh, 60, worked at AFP's Gaza office, and shared the experience of his journalist colleagues, calling the situation "catastrophic". "I prefer death over this life," he said. "We have no strength left; we're exhausted and collapsing. Enough is enough." Hunger has only added to the strain of documenting constant death and destruction after more than 21 months of war, AFP journalists say AFP AFP journalists say the difficulties in obtaining enough food to support their families has become an unbearable burden AFP 'In this war, life as we know it has become impossible,' said AFP video journalist Yousef Hassouna AFP
Int'l Business Times
6 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Ukraine Curbs Anti-corruption Agencies, Sparking Rare Protests
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a bill on Tuesday revoking the autonomy of two anti-corruption agencies, a proposal that has sparked rare street protests in Kyiv and alarm among the country's international backers. Critics say the legislation consolidates power in Zelensky's hands and will allow government meddling in high-profile graft cases. The European Union called the decision a "serious step back", while hundreds gathered in central Kyiv to oppose the measure -- a show of anti-government anger rarely seen since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Lawmakers in Ukraine's parliament voted 263 to 13 to approve the bill, the majority of those in favour being from Zelensky's ruling party. Zelensky later signed the bill into law, a senior official told AFP. The bill would place the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) under the direct authority of the prosecutor general, who is appointed by the president. The NABU investigates instances of corruption among state institutions, while the SAPO prosecutes other corruption. The Anti-Corruption Action Center, an NGO, said the law would render the agencies meaningless as Zelensky's prosecutor general would "stop investigations into all of the president's friends". Protesters in the capital expressed anger at the measure. Some chanted "veto the law". "The bill is being rushed through," said 26-year-old game designer Anastasia. "It is clear that this is a targeted effort," she added. The protesters jeered and booed after Zelensky signed the bill into law, an AFP reporter saw. NABU began work in 2015, as Kyiv sought to bring the country closer to Europe after a 2014 pro-European revolution. Since its inception, the agency has uncovered widespread graft, including among figures in Zelensky's administration. Many opponents of the law voiced concern that Ukraine was reversing course after a decade of democratisation. Ukraine has taken a tough stance on corruption in recent years, both as a prerequisite to joining the EU and to reassure allies who have sent wartime aid, but investigators say it remains a serious problem. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos slammed the vote and said anti-graft institutions were "essential for Ukraine's EU path". "Seriously concerned over today's vote," Kos wrote on X. "The dismantling of key safeguards protecting NABU's independence is a serious step back." The chair of the Ukrainian parliament's anti-corruption committee, Anastasia Radina, said the bill ran counter to Ukraine's EU accession process. One European diplomat speaking on the condition of anonymity described the move as "unfortunate". "Is it a setback? Yes. Is this a point of non-return? No," the official told a small group of reporters, including AFP. Ukraine's former foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, who resigned from the government in 2024, said the measures marked a "bad day for Ukraine". "Now the President has a choice -- to stand on the side of the people or not," he said. On Monday, law enforcement conducted large-scale raids at the NABU, detaining one employee on suspicion of spying for Russia. Transparency International's Ukraine office called the raids an "attempt by the authorities to undermine the independence of Ukraine's post-Revolution of Dignity anti-corruption institutions." Transparency International ranked Ukraine 105th out of 180 countries in its "corruption perceptions index" in 2024, up from 144 in 2013.
