But in Sunday’s rather unique election – the first of two votes by which Mexicans will choose the country’s entire judiciary by direct ballot – Silvia Delgado is not an ordinary candidate.
Silvia Delgado has not been convicted of any crime, is not facing any charges and is not under investigation – whether over her links to El Chapo or anything else.
It’s not even about whether she’s a good person or a bad person,” says Mr Meza, referring to Silvia Delgado.
It is a company that has criminal and economic interests which are being resolved in the justice system.
Its critics maintain that electing every judge in Mexico amounts to the politicisation of the country’s justice system.
She is now a candidate for office after standing up for drug lord El Chapo.
thirteen hours ago.
Will Grant. .
correspondent for Mexico and Central America.
From Ciudad Juárez, reporting.
Silvia Delgado distributes flyers while swerving between cars in traffic near the Bridge of the Americas, which connects Mexico and the United States.
The brightly stated, “I’m standing for penal judge,”. “On the ballots, select number 12!”.
The majority gladly roll down their windows and take one of her flyers. Silvia Delgado, however, is not your typical candidate in Sunday’s rather unusual election, which is the first of two votes that will be used to elect the entire Mexican judiciary by direct ballot.
She was the defense attorney for infamous drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, but her most well-known client’s name is conspicuously missing from the brief biography on her pamphlets.
Due to her prior defense of the Sinaloa Cartel leader, her detractors claim she should not be allowed to serve as a judge. She disregards that notion.
Any indication of a conflict of interest prompts her to respond, “Why should it? For doing my job?”.
She asks, “Why should that make me illegitimate? For defending people’s individual guarantees? For mounting an adequate technical defense for a human being?”.
Regardless of her connections to El Chapo or anything else, Silvia Delgado has not been found guilty of any crimes, is not being investigated, and is not facing any charges.
But she is on a list of 19 “high risk candidates” in the election, according to Defensorxs, a prominent human rights and transparency organization in Mexico. A candidate with a conviction for drug trafficking and another accused of planning violence against journalists are on the list in addition to Ms. Delgado.
In the opinion of Miguel Alfonso Meza, director of Defensorxs, the so-called “high risk candidates” pose a threat to the credibility of Mexico’s legal system.
“Even if they were only a lawyer, it is extremely difficult for someone who has previously worked with a cartel to leave. Mr. Meza says of Silvia Delgado, “It’s not even about whether she’s a good person or a bad person.”.
“El Chapo” Guzman is not the only member of the Sinaloa Cartel. It is a business whose economic and criminal interests are being settled by the legal system. Due to her prior employment with the cartel, they may exert pressure on her to demonstrate loyalty. “..”.
The mention of Miguel Alfonso Meza and Defensorxs causes Silvia Delgado to visibly stiffen.
She snaps, saying, “It’s completely stupid,” and asserts that she has given them permission to “dig into her past as much as they like.”. She also rejects their primary charge that she can be compromised if elected judge because she was paid with drug money.
How can you prove that? I received a payment from attorneys on his legal team that was identical to any other monthly payment I would typically receive. I am not, in any way, his sister or daughter. I work as a professional. “.”.
More than 7,500 judicial positions are up for grabs, ranging from all nine Supreme Court justices to local magistrates, and Ms. Delgado is vying for one of them.
During its debate, the judicial reform sparked a strike by legal system employees and widespread demonstrations by law students. According to its detractors, electing all Mexican judges would politicize the nation’s legal system.
Miguel Alfonso Meza asserts, “It’s a political attack [on the judiciary] of course.”.
Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador disliked being subject to judicial power restrictions. The only way they could find a solution when the pressure got too much and the restrictions got too tight was to fire every judge in the nation,” he continues.
Although President Claudia Sheinbaum was not yet sworn in, she is a strong advocate for this reform, and polls indicate that it is also widely supported by the electorate.
Proponents point out that many judges are elected in Bolivia, Switzerland, and the United States. However, Mexico will elect them all, making it the first nation in history to do so. Markets are still not convinced, and investors are worried about the possibility that the ruling party will take control of the legislative branch, the presidency, and the courts.
According to Miguel Alfonso Meza, “the agreements and negotiations judges have to make with political actors… in order to get the support they need to win the elections” will cause issues.
Olivia Aguirre Bonilla is one of the 64 applicants vying for a Supreme Court seat. Her legal experience includes human rights law and activism against gender-based violence in the notoriously dangerous border city of Ciudad Juárez, where she is also from.
Aguirre Bonilla acknowledges the concerns raised about the possible politicization of Mexico’s legal system, but she sees the vote as a chance to significantly alter a broken, dishonest, and nepotistic judiciary.
She asserts, “I believe that every Mexican citizen is politicized and involved in public life.”.
This is different because, for the first time in history, our “untouchable” legal system—which was untouchable because it was dominated by privilege and the elites—will be put to a vote. The popular vote will democratize it. “.”.
The judiciary lacks the legitimacy of the legislative and executive branches, according to Aguirre Bonilla, and many of its members were appointed through family ties and influence.
“This vote will give the legal system real autonomy because it is elected by the Mexican people to represent them, not the president of the republic. “.”.
