The United States gave its ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, a boost after the controversy over his comments on judicial reform and the “diplomatic pause” announced by Andrés Manuel López Obrador in response to his “interventionist attitude.” Brian A. Nichols, assistant secretary for the Western Hemisphere at the State Department, stressed on Wednesday that Washington has “a profound respect for Mexico’s sovereignty,” but backed Salazar’s statements on the “risk” represented by the election of judges, magistrates and ministers of the Supreme Court by popular vote. “As partners and friends, we share our concerns about the proposed constitutional reforms,” said Nichols. The Mexican president clarified this in La Mañanera: he said that the “pause” only applies to the US Embassy and assured that bilateral relations continue. The White House, however, has made it clear that its opposition to the proposed law goes beyond the position of its representative and is shared by its entire diplomatic apparatus.
“As Ambassador Salazar has expressed, the United States supports the concept of judicial reform in Mexico, but we are very concerned that the popular election of judges does not address judicial corruption or strengthen the judiciary,” reads the response from the United States Embassy to the diplomatic objection that the Mexican Foreign Ministry announced last Friday. The note from the US legation was sent on Friday itself, but was not made public until Tuesday on the ambassador’s social networks, when López Obrador announced the “pause” in his relationship with Salazar. Nichols echoed the message of his diplomatic representative and hoped that both countries would work “together” to “promote security and prosperity in North America.” The United States claims that the bill, proposed by the Mexican president and supported by his majority in the Legislature, is “a risk to democracy in Mexico” and a “threat” to the economic integration of the region, because it undermines investor confidence in the rule of law.
López Obrador hinted at his morning press conference that the US opposition is probably driven by economic interests, saying that “sometimes what doesn’t sound logical sounds metallic.” The president said that “the relationship with the governments continues” and that the “pause,” a concept he has coined after diplomatic clashes with other countries, applies only to Salazar and Canadian ambassador Graeme C. Clark, who did not make such a categorical statement, but admitted last week that there were “concerns” from Canadian investors about the reform.
In announcing the pause on Tuesday, López Obrador also said his government “needed to take a break” with the State Department as well. As the concept of a “pause” is not common in international relations or in Mexico’s foreign policy, Ottawa has also set out its position in the face of the Mexican president’s claims. Justin Trudeau’s government told Reuters it has no interest in intervening in domestic politics and that it values its relationship with Mexico, “a key ally, friend and neighbour.”
There have been other signs that the differences over judicial reform go beyond a dispute between the Mexican president and the US ambassador, and that it is a concern shared by the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee stated in a statement signed by representatives of both parties that it does not look favorably on the attempt to “undermine the independence and transparency” of the Judiciary. The accusations are not limited to that bill. “We are alarmed that several other constitutional reforms currently under discussion may contradict the commitments made in the Treaty between the United States, Mexico and Canada (T-MEC), whose review is scheduled for 2026,” they said.
Morena, the ruling party and its majority in Congress, has made it clear that it will not give in to international pressure, although there have also been signs of caution. Claudia Sheinbaum, the president-elect, asked Ricardo Monreal, López Obrador’s pawn in the Legislature and coordinator of the ruling party in the lower house, not to approve the reform on the fast track and to take special care to respect the legislative process so as not to give rise to claims or possible appeals. Monreal had announced over the weekend that the approval of the ruling could take place on September 1, when the new legislature is installed, but said that Sheinbaum’s suggestion of “not rushing” was appropriate. The Morena bloc and its allies already managed to get the project approved in committees last Monday, after a marathon session of about 10 hours.
The judicial reform has strained relations with the United States and Canada, Mexico’s main trading partners, and has opened a new front with the judiciary, which has announced new acts of protest against the violation of the separation of powers and the rights of its working class. López Obrador’s eagerness to approve a series of reforms at the end of his term has caused turbulence in a transfer of power to Sheinbaum that was expected to be smooth and without major setbacks. The first woman to become president of Mexico will take office on October 1. The United States will go to the polls next November.
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