schema:articleBody
| - Mexican lawmakers on Friday approved a controversial reform extending the term of the Supreme Court president, despite criticism from the opposition and even within President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's own party. The bill enabling Arturo Zaldivar, who is considered close to Lopez Obrador, to serve until 2024 was approved by the lower house of Congress, the Chamber of Deputies, by 262 votes to 182. The change was approved by the upper house, the Senate, earlier this month. Both chambers are dominated by Lopez Obrador's Morena party and its allies. Usually Mexico's Supreme Court judges are required to choose a president from among themselves every four years, with no possibility of re-election. Lopez Obrador said last week that he supported the bill because there are "vices and nepotism" in the judiciary and Zaldivar is a "man of integrity." But the move has drawn criticism from legal experts, the opposition and some members of the left-wing populist's party. Zaldivar "cannot remain silent in the face of a pathetic violation of the constitution that goes down in history bearing his name," veteran Morena lawmaker Porfirio Munoz Ledo said on Twitter. The reform "disgraces all the members of the court by rating them as incompetent," he added. Zaldivar said in a statement that the Supreme Court would consider any petition it receives challenging the constitutionality of the reform. In a radio interview, he later said he was confident that his colleagues on the Supreme Court "will resolve the issue responsibly" and decide if it is constitutional. yug-dr/dw
|