Deputies of Morena begin to oppose the extension of the mandate of Arturo Zaldívar in the SCJN

Porfirio Muñoz Ledo, the experienced deputy of Brunette, the party in power, joined other voices on its bench this Sunday to reject the extension of the mandate of Arturo Zaldívar as head of the Supreme Court that his co-religionists approved in the Senate and that was denounced as a “blow to the Judiciary” by the opposition.

“I agree with the position taken by my colleagues in the parliamentary group: Lorena Villavicencio Y Pablo Gomez on the transitory article approved in the Senate that would prolong the presidency of the Supreme Court for two years, ”said Muñoz Ledo on his social networks.

“It is absolutely contrary to the constitution, since it limits the term to four years and prohibits re-election. It is also a dangerous precedent. A broad parliamentary debate is required on this matter ”, he added.

And it is that, despite the fact that the Senate approved it among the transitory articles of the reform to the secondary laws of the Judicial Power last Thursday, The Chamber of Deputies will see the case only in the next few days, and can discard it from the opinion if the majority in San Lázaro so decides.

Morena in the Upper House approved, with strong criticism from the opposition and experts, the extension of the mandate of Arturo Zaldívar as head of the Supreme Court for two more years, so that Instead of directing the Judicial Power between 2019 and 2022, do so until 2024, coinciding with the end of López Obrador’s six-year term.

This modification was included last minute and without publication in the official Senate media, causing even more anger among legislators opponents. Some of them even voted in favor, in what appeared to be a case of confusion and inattention to the senators’ session.

The experts in constitutional law made it clear that it was unconstitutional and denounced that Morena was looking for a precedent to implement the same type of term extension for the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Ricardo Monreal, the leader of the ruling senators, categorically rejected this version at the time.

The experts asked, together with federal magistrates and judges, that the deputies reject this addendum to the opinion that they will study and debate in the next sessions. On Saturday, the deputy Pablo Gómez, who directs the powerful Instructor Section in San Lázaro, was the first from Morena to express his rejection of the extension of the mandate of Zaldívar.

“This transitory article to extend the presidency of Minister Zaldívar in the Supreme Court for two additional years it could not pass even when it was approved and promulgated. Better say it from now on”, Said the vice-coordinator of the Moreno deputies on their social networks.

The deputy Lorena Villavicencio, for her part, also assured this Saturday that she agreed “absolutely” with her benchmate “because it is an unconstitutional reform.” “Our first responsibility as legislators is to enforce the Constitution. Article 97 establishes a period of four years, it is non-extendable, period ”, he assured.

Meanwhile, international organizations, to which the opposition promised to go if the extension of the mandate is confirmed in Congress, showed their concern, as the IACHR (Inter-American Commission on Human Rights), and others even went further, como Human Rights Watch, who described López Obrador as a “threat to judicial independence” in the country.

López Obrador, on the other hand, was satisfied with the reform. “I have confidence in the President of the Supreme Court, I consider him an honest people and I think that if the term is extended in order for him to lead the reform of the Judiciary, I agree, but I am not going to decide, it will be the legislators, ”the Mexican president emphasized at a press conference on Friday.