Judicial Reform and Re-election
The Senate plenary session began this Thursday with an extraordinary period marked by the general approval of a constitutional reform to the Judiciary, which postpones the election of judges and magistrates until the first Sunday of June 2028. The initiative, passed with 87 votes in favor and 40 against, allows the seven current magistrates of the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary (TEPJF) to seek re-election for a new six-year term, extending their tenure until 2034.
Inzunza’s Brief Leave
The session was marked by the absence of Morena Senator Enrique Inzunza, who faces accusations from the U.S. Department of Justice regarding alleged ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. Inzunza requested a temporary leave of just 22 hours, which concludes this Friday, May 29, at 3:00 p.m., during which time he will lose his constitutional immunity. Taking his place, Omar Alejandro López Campos was sworn in as his substitute. López Campos previously served as the head of the Secretariat of Welfare and Sustainable Development (SEBIDES) in Sinaloa and is the godson of the governor on leave, Rubén Rocha Moya.
Opposition Backlash
The reform, which also reduces the term for judges elected in 2028 from nine to eight years, was harshly criticized by the opposition. Movimiento Ciudadano Senator Luis Donaldo Colosio Riojas denounced a conflict of interest stemming from a provision pushed by Morena deputy Sergio Gutiérrez Luna, which allows electoral magistrates to compete in the very processes they are tasked with overseeing. "No one can be the referee of a contest in which they are also a contestant," Colosio Riojas stated during his address to the joint committees.
For his part, PAN Senator Marko Cortés labeled the reform an attempt at control disguised as professionalization. Cortés asserted that the ruling party is seeking to "protect narco-governors, narco-officials, and narco-legislators," while also criticizing the lack of prohibitions regarding the use of campaign materials during judicial elections.
Legal and Press Freedom Concerns
Meanwhile, the case against Enrique Inzunza has escalated legally, with the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) summoning the senator and other Sinaloa officials to testify following allegations by U.S. prosecutors regarding their supposed links to 'Los Chapitos.' Inzunza, who dismissed the situation on social media as a "media onslaught" by the right, justified his temporary leave by arguing that his substitute would handle the Thursday and Friday sessions.
Political instability in Sinaloa has also impacted press freedom. The organization Article 19 reported that journalist Juan Manuel Partida Valdez, president of the Sinaloa Journalists Association, has received death threats after publishing investigations into alleged opacity and nepotism linked to Governor Rubén Rocha Moya. According to the organization, the journalist—who has been under state protection measures since 2022—was targeted with intimidating messages, including direct threats against his family and grandchildren, after he questioned the transparency of a corporation where the state governor's children allegedly work.
