On June 1, 2025, the people of Mexico will elect for the first time the judges of the Judicial Branch, the most conservative of the Mexican bureaucracy and historically a defender of private economic interests. To this end, the INE published a list with more than 4,224 candidates on February 17.
An election that, although it seems to have become a disaster due to the (apparent) difficulty that the voter will face when faced with a ballot with too many proper names – 99% with a totally unknown track record – the key to the game will be the number of citizen participants in the process.
For the powers traditionally represented and defended by the power in dispute, the election will have a low turnout and a media campaign has been orchestrated so that people do not go out to vote saying that it is a waste of time, since a ridiculous turnout could generate a question about the legitimacy of this process.
That is why it is important to call on the people to get to know the candidates and think about a country with justice. Here are three reasons:
- It is important to vote because that vote will give us the opportunity to get to know those who administer justice and punish them if they comply with that mandate.
- It is important to vote because the quality of democracy will be evaluated based on informed participation and that would reduce the ability of party structures to impose their candidates.
- It is important to vote because all eyes in the world are watching the Mexican judicial election, as it could represent the break with a power that remains intact defending economic interests at a global level.
But to vote, you need to know the candidates. A first step is to know who not to vote for, those profiles with dark origins, for example, for the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, characters such as Marisela Morales, linked to Felipe Calderón and Genaro García Luna, were nominated, another character is César Gutiérrez Priego, son of the anti-drug prosecutor General Gutiérrez Rebollo who was also arrested for probable links to drug trafficking and ultimately acquitted. This lawyer is related to the interests of the Mexican army.
Another group of candidates are those linked to the 4T, for the SCJN, the daughter of Olga Sánchez Cordero, who has outstanding notes in the judicial career and academia, and the three ministers close to AMLO, Loretta Ortiz, Jazmín Esquivel and Lenia Batres, were nominated.
It is important to promote broad participation and show that in Mexico a democratic judiciary that overcomes the capture of economic power is possible.