Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum has defended the country’s unprecedented judicial elections after just 13% of Mexicans turned out to vote, a record low in a federal election.
Roughly 2,600 posts, from local magistrates to supreme court justices, were up for grabs on Sunday, as an entire judicial system was put to the vote for the first time in the world.
Despite the low turnout, Sheinbaum described the process as “a complete success”, adding: “Mexico is the most democratic country in the world.”
The vote was the result of a radical reform by the governing Morena party, which said it would reduce corruption and impunity in the judicial system by making it more responsive to popular opinion.
But the concept was challenged by critics who said it would bulldoze the separation of powers and could flood the judicial system with candidates who were under-qualified and aligned with political interests.
The National Electoral Institute had to design and implement the unprecedented and seismically important election in a matter of months.
Given the sheer number of positions and candidates involved, critics had warned that a low turnout was likely. Parts of the opposition also called for a boycott.
Still, the estimated 13% turnout is far below the more than 60%