Photo: Chamber of Deputies

By KELIN DILLON

In a new interview, Mexican Senate President Gerardo Fernández Noroña revealed that the federal government may grant protection for candidates in Mexico’s upcoming judicial elections, a move that would be significant given Mexico’s ongoing political violence crisis.

The National Regeneration Movement (Morena) senatorial leader conceded that aspiring members of the judicial branch could be targets for attacks, especially in states with a history of insecurity and high crime rates.

“I believe that our Government will be very attentive to whether any of the people who aspire to it require any special protection, as was done in the case of the candidates in this year’s electoral process, and whether it is granted. I rather believe that is what should be done, rather than proposing something else,” said Noroña.

Still, despite the Senate President’s assurances, Mexico’s 2024 elections were the nation’s deadliest yet with a total of 231 individuals related to the political process murdered according to political consulting group Integralia.

Noroña went on to say that the protection decision cannot be made until the candidates for the judicial elections are chosen.

“There are still no candidates, so we will see what the final list is. And, if from that final list, I have no doubt, any of the people who aspire to it request protection, for reasons that they argue that their integrity is at risk, it will be granted, I have no doubt about that,” he concluded.

Just days prior, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo announced that the executive branch had completed 84 percent of the evaluation of potential candidates, of which 8,626 of the 18,447 people currently vying for judicial positions fully met the government’s application criteria.

According to Sheinbaum, the final list of candidates meeting all the eligibility criteria will be published on Sunday, Dec. 15.