Mexico City
CNN
–
Mexican rice election officials on Monday likely found themselves voting in Mexicans’ first judicial elections, and the government welcomed the successful process, with analysts saying low turnout could undermine already controversial reforms.
President Claudia Sheinbaum estimated that of the approximately 13 million eligible voters, around 13 million voted on Sunday, electing around 2,600 judges and magistrates, including nine Supreme Court judges.
The count is expected to close on June 15th, but INE officials estimated turnout between 12.57% and 13.32% using calculations based on several samples taken nationwide.
Sheinbaum called the process “complete success,” citing free voting and frugal campaigns at a morning press conference.
“It’s all done, and we’ll draw conclusions from yesterday and make improvements for 2027,” she said, pointing to another vote that plans to fill more than 1,000 other judicial positions in two years.
“The vote took place in a climate of peace and tranquility that exceeded the length and width of the country,” Interior Minister Rosa Aycera Rodriguez said.
“The turnout in yesterday’s polls met expectations,” she said. “It was an innovative process that created interest among participants.”
Voting in Mexico is not required, and there is no minimum turnout required to justify the election. Pollers warned of low turnout over the opposition’s call for boycotts and the complexity of voting for a large number of candidates.
Alberto Ramos, a Chief Fraten America economist at Goldman Sachs, said the low turnout was distant from the legitimacy of the process, making a note that the selection process and logistics organizations are “full of controversy.”
“The majority of the roughly 3,400 candidates were little known, many have legal experience and some questionable qualifications for the seats they are looking for,” he said.
Bradesco analyst Rodolfo Ramos said he thought it was surprisingly low given Shanebaum’s high approval rating and the fact that most Mexicans are in favor of voting directly for the judge.
Sinbaum inherited the Judicial Election Project from his predecessor and former mentor, Andres Manuel López Obrador, and supported the vote as a way to democratize justice and eradicate corruption and nepotism.
But critics say it removes enforcement checks and balances, and organized criminal groups can wield more influence by running their own candidates.
The preparation for the vote was dominated by scandals against some candidates, including convicted drug smugglers and former lawyers for drug drug Kingpin Joaquin “Elchapo” Guzman.
Later Sunday, Mexico’s specialist prosecutor’s office in election crimes said it had received 23 reports of election crimes that could be linked to nearly 900 positions in federal-level judiciary.
