Islam Times - Mexico President Warns About US Envoy Meddling Statements

Islam Times - Washington’s ambassador to Mexico behaved disrespectfully by criticizing the nation’s plans to reform its judiciary, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said.

Mexico doesn’t accept foreign interference in its affairs, Lopez Obrador said, after Ambassador Ken Salazar warned that government’s proposal for judges to be elected is a threat to its democracy.

“Lately, there have been acts of disrespect, such as this unfortunate and imprudent statement made by Ambassador Ken Salazar yesterday, and a diplomatic note of condemnation has already been issued,” Lopez Obrador said Friday during his daily press conference.

On Thursday, Salazar said drug cartels will find it easier to infiltrate Mexico’s judiciary if a plan to have all judges elected by popular vote is approved, the core objective of Lopez Obrador’s judicial reform proposal being discussed in Congress.

Salazar also said the reform might undermine confidence in Mexico’s legal system and threaten trade relations.

AMLO, as the Mexican president is known, rejected these arguments and said that the reform would prevent organized crime from dominating the judiciary.

“If judges are elected, which is what we are proposing, we can cleanse the judiciary of corruption, and these judges will know that they represent the people, the nation and that their function is to impart justice,” Lopez Obrador said.