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Mexico

Monthly Updates

April 2023 | Supreme Court rules against enhanced militarization

On 17 and 18 April, Mexico’s Supreme Court (SCJN) issued two rulings that reduce some of the power the military had recently been granted. Firstly, the SCJN limited the armed forces’ ability to intercept communications between citizens. It comes amid recent revelations that the current government and military have spied on journalists, human rights activists, and opposition politicians and that the Mexican military was ‘the first and most prolific’ user of the Pegasus spyware, which had been allegedly used to spy on civilians as recently as the second half of 2022. Second, the SCJN declared that transferring control of the National Guard (GN) from the Public Security Ministry to the defence ministry (SEDENA) was unconstitutional. Government officials had claimed that the GN needs to be under the control of the military to prevent corruption and guarantee the force’s professionalism. Although President López Obrador criticised the SCJN, the decisions have been received positively by national and international leaders.

March 2023 | Head of Supreme Court receives death threat

The head of Mexico’s Supreme Court, Norma Lucía Piña, received an online death threat that went viral on social media. Mexican judges and magistrates condemned the death threat on 2 March. The National Bar Association of Mexico similarly released a statement condemning the attack and demanded greater respect from government officials towards members of the judiciary. In the weeks following Piña’s election as head of the Supreme Court, and while stating the need to respect judicial independence, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador had voiced strong criticism and accusations of corruption against the federal judiciary. During his daily press briefings, he had even voiced his opinion that a “wave of judicial decisions that favour alleged criminals” coincided with the beginning of the Court’s new Presidency. After the dissemination of the threat against Piña, López Obrador insisted on the need to openly discuss corruption and has been criticised both for fuelling distrust in the judiciary, as well as for minimizing the incident.

February 2023 | Congress passes “Plan B” electoral reform

After initial discussion and approval in December by the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, on 22 February Congress passed the “Plan B” electoral reform, which entered into force on 3 March. In response, on 26 February large demonstrations took place across the country against what protesters say are attempts to undermine the electoral authorities, particularly the National Electoral Institute (INE).  Since the reform was first proposed, it has been met with extensive international and nationwide criticism, as it effectively reduces the structure, staff, and power of the National Electoral Institute (INE), impacts its autonomy, loosens restrictions on campaigning and propaganda as well as INE’s enforcement capabilities on the subject. Some opponents have described the reform as an attack on democracy itself and have expressed concern over how the overhaul to INE’s structure will obstruct its ability to effectively organize and oversee elections. The reform also includes provisions related to the vote of Mexicans living abroad and electronic voting. Mexico’s opposition parties and the INE have filed constitutional challenges before the Supreme Court (SCJN), which is expected to consider them in the coming months. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador denies the reforms are a threat to democracy and argues the Plan B’s measures will increase the efficiency of the electoral system, result in savings of hundreds of millions of dollars a year and reduce the influence of economic interests in politics. 

January 2023 | Supreme Court elects first woman to lead Mexico’s highest judicial body

On 2 January the Mexican Supreme Court (SCJN) elected Norma Lucia Piña Hernández as the first woman to serve as chief justice in the court’s history. Justices voted by six votes to five to elect Piña Hernández to lead the nation’s highest judicial body. In her post-election speech, Piña highlighted the importance of having a woman preside over the SCJN, stating a previously impenetrable glass ceiling has been broken and that she would represent all women in the role. She pledged to work towards “a fairer, more egalitarian society, without violence for women”.

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GSoD Indices Data 2012-2021

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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
130 262 220
System of government
Presidential system
Head of government
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (since 2018)
Head of government party
Morena (National Regeneration Movement)
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
Mixed-member Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
50.0%
Women in upper chamber
49.2%
Last legislative election
2021
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
2.69
Head of state
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (plurality)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
07/11/2018
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
99.24%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
State Party
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
State Party
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
Signatory
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
American Convention on Human Rights
State Party
Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
in
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Attributes Over Time

Representative government neutral Representative Government
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Representative government neutral Fundamental rights
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Representative government neutral Checks on government
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Representative government neutral Impartial administration
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Representative government neutral Participatory engagement
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GSoD Indices

Regime type
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