British News Agency

While the government calls this a move toward democratization, critics warn that the election could undermine the rule of law.

In total, around 5,000 candidates are competing for more than 800 positions across various levels of the judiciary. The most prominent race is for the Supreme Court, where all eleven seats are being renewed.

Dora Martínez, a lawyer and candidate for the Supreme Court, says: “I believe justice needs to change. By including people from outside the judicial system, we can bring new ideas.”

Public trust in the Mexican judiciary is at a low point, and in an international comparison by the World Justice Project measuring the rule of law, Mexico ranks 116th out of 142 countries.

Luis Carlos Ugalde, who led the electoral authority in the early 2000s, believes the election is a populist trap, as each citizen will have to choose 50 names for positions that few people understand.

There are also concerns that drug cartels may use the elections to place loyal individuals into the judiciary. According to a Mexican human rights organization, 20 candidates have documented links to organized crime.