Electoral reform: key changes
The Chamber of Deputies approved the constitutional reforms that delay the judicial elections from 2027 to 2028. They also empower the Electoral Court to invalidate elections if foreign intervention is proven.
The initiative, sent by President Claudia Sheinbaum, was supported by Morena and its allies. It seeks to purify the selection of candidates for judges, criticized after the 2025 vote, where people close to the ruling party were elected.
In June 2025, Mexico elected some 2,600 federal and local judges. Participation was barely 13%. Originally, by 2027 it was planned to elect 800 federal judges and 2,800 state judges. Now, those elections will be held on June 4, 2028.
The reform creates a coordinating commission with representatives of the three powers. It will verify legal requirements and establish selection mechanisms. It will reduce the list of candidates to four per position, and a public draw will leave only two options.
During a session of more than 14 hours, the ruling party Sergio Gutiérrez proposed that magistrates of the Electoral Chamber could be candidates in 2028. The idea received criticism for extending their permanence up to 17 years, but it was approved.
Sheinbaum justified the delay: in 2026 there will be regional elections in 17 states to renew governors, local congresses, mayors and the Chamber of Deputies.
Debate on foreign interference
The Chamber also approved that the Electoral Court can invalidate elections due to indications of intervention by individuals, organizations or foreign governments. Deputy Ricardo Monreal stated that he seeks to “protect the national elections.”
Experts and opponents describe the measure as “ambiguous.” They warn that it will be difficult to prove interference and could be used to dismiss results with subjective criteria.
Monreal promoted the initiative after the crisis generated in April, when the New York prosecutor’s office accused ten Mexican officials – including the governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha – of drug trafficking. The opposition criticized the ruling party and Sheinbaum.
“In the current circumstance, with this offensive that we are seeing from the outside, it is important that it be clear that in Mexico we Mexicans decide,” declared the president. He pointed out that right-wing sectors have intensified criticism given the proximity of the midterm elections in the United States.
