Mexico’s Judicial Overhaul Vote Could Cement Morena’s Grip on Power

Over the last seven years, the left-leaning Morena party has dramatically reshaped Mexico’s political environment.

Having secured the presidency in two consecutive terms and achieved supermajorities in Congress, Morena has implemented wide-ranging political reforms that have solidified its dominance while leaving opposition parties struggling for survival.

This Sunday, Mexicans will participate in an unprecedented election to appoint all federal judges and numerous local magistrates—a total of 2,682 judicial positions nationwide—marking the first-ever nationwide judicial vote in the country’s history.

Morena’s leadership argues this election is necessary to reform a justice system plagued by corruption, where judges have traditionally favored elite interests and obstructed the party’s agenda. However, this process may also remove the last significant institutional obstacle to Morena’s authority.

Legal and political experts widely anticipate that candidates aligned with Morena will dominate the election, filling judicial posts from local courts all the way to the Supreme Court, effectively granting the party control over the judiciary branch.