Thousands protest Mexican judicial reform

Thousands of Mexicans, mainly court employees and law students, protested in the capital Sunday against a controversial judicial reform that would see judges elected by popular vote.

They gathered in Mexico City as the Senate prepared to debate the initiative pushed by outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and approved by the lower house, called the Chamber of Deputies, in which the ruling party holds sway.

The proposed reform, which would see the election of judges of the Supreme Court and other tribunals as well as magistrates, has sparked diplomatic tensions with the United States, prompted protests by opponents, and upset financial markets.

"The judiciary will not fall," changed protesters who marched on the Senate, expected to vote on the proposal Wednesday.

Striking judicial workers have asked the Supreme Court to intervene in the matter, a request that Lopez Obrador has said had no legal basis.

The United States, Mexico's main trading partner, has warned that the reforms would threaten a relationship that relies on investor confidence in the Mexican legal framework.

Lopez Obrador, who will be replaced by his ally Claudia Sheinbaum on October 1, argues that the change was warranted because courts serve the interests of the political and economic elite.