(Originally published by The New York Times on September 4, 2024)

For weeks, Mexico has been in turmoil over President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s proposed constitutional amendment for judges to be elected by popular vote. Fifty-five thousand judicial employees went on strike as legislators pushed the law forward; the peso fell, and international banks issued dire warnings about the effect of the proposal on the economy.

Even the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, issued an unusual warning. The plan, he said late last month, presented “a major risk to the functioning of Mexico’s democracy.” The president responded by angrily announcing a “pause” of diplomatic relations with the U.S. Embassy. A similar spat ensued with Canada.

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