The American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico (Amcham) expressed its agreement with the statements made by Ambassador Ken Salazar and spoke in favor of dialogue to assess the impact of the constitutional change.
“We call for continued dialogue to carefully assess the potential consequences of this and other reforms, and we reaffirm our commitment to collaborate in the creation of public policies that strengthen legal security and Mexico’s competitiveness,” the organization said.
ℹ️ | Mexico is a country that favors investment and business growth. We call for continued dialogue to carefully evaluate the potential consequences of the Judicial Reform and reaffirm our commitment to continue adding data and proposals. pic.twitter.com/1rHU4Z9tsN
— American Chamber/Mexico (@AmChamMexico)
August 26, 2024
The Global Business Council has called for adjustments to aspects that may affect investments in Mexico.
“The current reform project contains some Critical aspects that need to be adjusted to ensure legal certainty and prevent investment from being discouraged,” he said in a statement.
Universities
The rejection of judicial reform also reached the classrooms. Students from various public and private universities have expressed their concern about judicial reform and some of them took to the streets, like those from UNAM.
In the so-called march “In defense of the Law,” students and academics demanded that the judiciary not be dismantled. As they marched, they shouted slogans such as “If the people are informed, the reform will not pass!”, “The judiciary is not for sale, it must be defended!” and “Mexico, hold on, UNAM is rising up.”
(Photo: Raquel Cunha/Reuters)
In addition to UNAM, other universities have joined in the rejection, such as the Ibero-American University, the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM), the Pan-American University (UP), La Salle University of Mexico, the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE), ITESO Jesuit University of Guadalajara, the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM), the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico and the Free School of Law.
https://t.co/pmsdHFMNU7 pic.twitter.com/UwAQtfVvkX
— Free School of Law (@eld_oficial) September 4, 2024
International media
He Financial Timesin its edition of this Wednesday, September 4, included an article that addresses the panorama that could be seen in Mexico if the judicial reform is approved.
The article written by Michael Stott, Latin America editor of the Financial Times, points out the many concerns that the judicial reform proposed by President López Obrador, and already endorsed by the deputies, has generated in the business sector.
He points out that although the legal system in Mexico needs to change, since several crimes go unpunished and corruption is a big problem, the fear among businessmen is that the adjustments proposed by López Obrador will make things worse by politicizing justice.
“Imagine you’re the country manager for a multinational company, fighting a state-owned competitor that’s competing unfairly. Your lawyers say you have a strong case, but the judge is an ally of the ruling party, the regulator is an official from the ministry that owns your competitor, and the tax authority is threatening to jail you while it checks whether your invoices might be fraudulent.”
“Nightmares like this might happen in Russia, but they’re not what you’d expect in a North American nation that’s America’s largest trading partner. Hence the alarm among business leaders about Mexico’s plans to rewrite its constitution over the next month, to have voters elect all judges (including the Supreme Court), abolish autonomous regulators, and a host of other measures,” the article reads.
The most influential newspaper in the world among the financial community describes the business landscape in Mexico as follows: pic.twitter.com/xvNPz0iWkQ
— Enrique Acevedo (@Enrique_Acevedo) September 4, 2024
What does the president say?
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has insisted on the need to reform the judiciary, which he says is marked by corruption and defends elite interests rather than those of Mexicans.
With the approval of the election of judges, magistrates and ministers by vote, he believes, the members of the Judicial Branch will only have to answer to the people of Mexico, since they will not owe their position to anyone.
“It basically consists of the people electing the judges, the magistrates and the ministers… it is so that the judges and the magistrates and the ministers know that they are indebted to the will of the people, that they do not owe a favor to any party, to any politician, to the president, to the senators,” he said on Thursday, August 29.
Regarding criticism from abroad regarding the reform, he has argued that it is an issue that only Mexicans can decide and that he is doing so through legal processes.
By a qualified majority of 357 votes in favor, 130 against and zero abstentions, the Chamber of Deputies approved this Wednesday, September 4, in particular, with changes, the opinion that modifies various articles of the Political Constitution, related to the Judicial Branch. The opinion was already sent to the Senate of the Republic for its constitutional effects.
