Protests and accusations of treason. People stormed the Senate

The bill was passed by 86 senators, with 41 against. Last week, the reform was approved by the Mexican lower house of Congress.

The day before the Senate vote, Miguel Angel Yunes of the opposition Christian-conservative National Action Party (PAN) unexpectedly broke from party ranks and declared he supported the reform, securing the ruling leftist Morena party and its allies the two-thirds majority needed to pass the constitutional reform.

The reform, which would include electing judges by popular vote, is one of Lopez Obrador’s priorities. The outgoing president says it is necessary to combat corruption in the judiciary.

Critics say the reform could disrupt the balance between the executive and judicial powers and lead to the concentration of power in the hands of the ruling Morena party, founded by Lopez Obrador.

During deliberations before the vote, hundreds of protesters broke into the Senate building, waving Mexican flags and accusing senators of treason, Reuters reported.

The opposition also has reservations about the way the bill was handled. It has accused the ruling leftist Morena party of pressuring and bribing senators. The party denies the accusations.

The project caused tensions in relations with USA and Canada. These two major trading partners Mexico warned that changes to the Mexican judicial system could undermine the USMCA trade deal struck between the three countries in 2018 and negatively impact investment.

The ambassadors of these countries in Mexico spoke critically of the planned reform, and in response Lopez Obrador announced a “freeze on relations” with these countries. Later, however, he softened his tone and recognized that these relations “are not damaged.”

Critics also say the reform will worsen business conditions. The Mexican peso has weakened 5.5 percent against the dollar over the past month.