The lower house of Mexico’s Congress has approved contentious legislation that would launch the most sweeping judicial overhaul of the century by requiring all judges to stand for election. In a marathon session in which legislators were forced to meet in a gymnasium because protesters blocked the Congress building, congress approved the measure 359-135 in a first vote. The necessary second-round vote is expected to carry by a similar margin before it is sent to the Senate. Mexico’s ruling party says judges in the current court system are corrupt, and wants the country’s entire judicial branch _ some 7,000 judges – stand for election. Critics say it is a power-grab by the ruling party and a blow to the independence of the judiciary.
