Sunday’s judicial elections once again dominated headlines, with a fresh round of dour coverage. Despite the low turnout (nearly ninety per-cent of voters did not cast ballots, the highest since Mexico became a democracy), The Economist pointed out that the elections were in fact a roaring success – for Morena, that is. The party has now firmly ‘tightened its grip over the third branch of government, and over Mexico as a whole’. The Wall Street Journal’s Mary Anastasia O’Grady, never one to mince words, attributed the low turnout to confusion and apathy towards the multitude of candidates voters had never heard of. This will keep private investors at bay, O’Grady argued: ‘Will they trust a judiciary that acts as a subsidiary of the state? At the margin, probably not.’ The New York Times also reported on the sweeping influence Morena will now have, with at least eight of the nine judges on the Supreme Court having close ties to the party. Summing things up, the Financial Times quotes Javier Martín Reyes, a constitutional law professor at Mexico’s UNAM: ‘As a strategy for political capture of the judiciary, it was a rousing success […] As a democratic exercise, I think it was a failure.’
On the other hand, the Mexican government was dealt a final defeat in its $10 billion lawsuit against U.S. gunmakers. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the law shields gunmakers from liability, noting that Mexico failed to show they directly aided trafficking. The decision reaffirms the industry’s near-total legal immunity, even as cross-border tensions over arms and violence continue to mount. Win some, lose some.
Business news were similarly less than cheerful, as President Trump doubled tariffs on steel and aluminum to 50%, less than three months after setting them at 25%, aiming to bolster U.S. producers. Mexico could announce retaliatory measures next week, reported Reuters. Mexico’s state-owned oil giant Pemex was also in the news, with The Wall Street Journal reporting plans to layoff thousands of non-union staff: The company expects to save around 3.53 billion pesos ($185 million) this year.
Lastly, on this week’s MexMoves, Damian and Eduardo sit down with Leandro Cuccioli, SVP of Mercado Libre, for an exclusive look at how Latin America’s e-commerce giant plans to keep growing in Mexico — across e-commerce, logistics, and finance. They also dive into: a sharp drop in April remittances and a surge in crypto-powered transfers; Infra REIT Xinfra’s $270M raise to expand into power; mounting trouble at SOFOM Préstamo Feliz; the quiet rise of Canadian dollar store PesoRama in Mexico City; and baseball’s growing popularity in Mexico. You can listen to it here.
Photo of the Week
Members of the National Electoral Institute after polling stations closed in judicial elections on Sunday in Mexico City. Photo by Carl De Souza/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images.
FOREIGN PRESS COVERAGE
Mexico’s ruling party, Morena, has captured the judiciary
05/06/2025, The Economist, Staff
Mexico is removing its last check on executive power
30/05/2025, The Washington Post, Editorial Board
Mexico’s Supreme Court Looks Set to Be Dominated by One Party
03/06/2025, The New York Times, Emiliano Rodríguez Mega and James Wagner
Tiny minority of Mexicans elects supreme court closely tied to ruling party
03/06/2025, The Financial Times, Christine Murray
Mexico’s Judicial-Election Farce
01/06/2025, The Wall Street Journal, Mary Anastasia O’Grady
Low Turnout in Mexico’s Far-Reaching Judicial Election Fuels Legitimacy Concerns
02/06/2025, The New York Times, Emiliano Rodríguez Mega, James Wagner and Simon Romero
Mexico’s ruling party expands its power in massive judicial election
03/06/2025, The Washington Post, Mary Beth Sheridan and Gabriela Martínez
Mexican Supreme Court remake: Ruling-party loyalists dominate the new bench
05/06/2025, Los Angeles Times, Patrick J. McDonnell
Supreme Court Blocks Mexico’s Suit Against U.S. Gunmakers
05/06/2025, The New York Times, Abbie VanSickle
Mexico to announce ‘measures’ next week if no deal on US metals tariffs
04/06/2025, Reuters, Raul Cortes
Mexico’s Pemex to Trim Costs With Restructuring-Related Job Cuts
04/06/2025, The Wall Street Journal, Anthony Harrup
Download PDF: MI-MxForeignPressChatter-060625