Mexico's Sheinbaum says polls show support for judicial reform

Mexico's President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during a press conference in Mexico City, Mexico, June 17, 2024. REUTERS/Henry Romero

By Sarah Morland

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Polls commissioned by Mexico's ruling MORENA party show support for a proposed reform of the country's judiciary, including support for the popular election of Supreme Court judges, President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday.

"These polls are information, they don't have another objective," Sheinbaum told a press conference. "This is just information to be considered in the discussions that will start in the coming days."

She is scheduled to hold talks with senators and lower house lawmakers on Tuesday, and has pledged public forums to discuss the plan more widely.

According to three polls commissioned by MORENA, which won a landslide victory in the June 2 general elections, around 80% of people believe it is necessary to reform the judicial system.

According to the three polls, some 70% backed the popular election of Supreme Court judges and nearly 90% supported an independent judicial watchdog to probe possible misdeeds or corruption. Around 40% said they believed most judges, magistrates and ministers were corrupt.

Mexico's President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum holds a press conference in Mexico City, Mexico, June 17, 2024. REUTERS/Henry Romero

The polls jointly surveyed some 3,855 people between June 14-16 with margins of error of just under 3%.

Sheinbaum, who is set to take over from her mentor and outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in October, added that she would announce the first nominees to her cabinet on Thursday.

Lopez Obrador had proposed the reform prior to June 2 but reiterated calls following the landslide election of Sheinbaum.

The peso briefly dipped after Sheinbaum's poll announcement, before stabilizing at around 18.5 pesos to the U.S. dollar.

"Investors don't need to worry, this is a survey and after this there will be dialogue and debate," Sheinbaum told reporters at the conference. "The peso is a strong currency and it will continue to be under my mandate."

Sheinbaum reiterated pledges to responsibly manage the public debt and budget, as well as conserve the autonomy of the Mexican central bank.

(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz, Raul Cortes, Noe Torres, Ana Isabel Martinez and Sarah Morland in Mexico City; Editing by Kylie Madry and Aurora Ellis)