Mexico president signs contested judicial reforms into law [Video]

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced Sunday that he had signed into law controversial judicial reforms making Mexico the world’s only country to elect all its judges by popular vote.

The outgoing leftist leader signed the decree in a video posted on social media, calling it a “historic day.”

He was accompanied by president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, his close ally, who will replace him on October 1 following her landslide election win in June.

Lopez Obrador had pushed hard for the constitutional changes, criticizing the current judicial system as “rotten,” corrupt, and serving the interests of the political and economic elite.

Opponents and legal experts fear that elected judges could be more vulnerable to pressure from criminals in a country where powerful drug cartels regularly use bribery and intimidation to influence officials.

Lopez Obrador has frequently lashed out at the judiciary since taking office in 2018 — in particular the Supreme …