Protesters Storm Mexican Senate Over Controversial Judicial Reform

 MEXICO CITY, Sept 11 (Bernama-dpa) - Demonstrators on Tuesday stormed the Mexican Senate to protest contentious sweeping judicial reform plans proposed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the German news agency (dpa) reported.

The reforms proposed by left-wing populist López Obrador include the direct election of judges, including those on the Supreme Court.

"The judiciary isn't going to fall," the demonstrators chanted as they voiced their opposition.

Around 1,700 federal judges in Mexico have been on strike for nearly three weeks in protest against the proposed reform. Thousands of court employees have joined the strike.

The House of Representatives has already approved the reform.

Critics of the reform are concerned that if judges are elected by the people, powerful drug cartels, which control large parts of the country and influence voting behaviour, could gain more influence over the judiciary. 

There are also concerns that professional qualifications of judges would play a lesser role and politics could have greater influence over the judiciary.

López Obrador, whose term as president ends this month after six years in office, will be succeeded by Claudia Sheinbaum, a loyal ally who won the June presidential election. Sheinbaum is expected to continue the policies of her mentor.

-- BERNAMA-dpa