The National Electoral Institute (INE) confirmed that the official results of the judicial election on June 1 will not be known immediately. The total count could extend until June 10. Although a quick count is expected for the Supreme Court justices, the district counts will take several more days.
This announcement increases distrust in a process already questioned for its lack of preparation, absence of public debate, and its origin in a judicial reform imposed by Morena. The INE detailed that the electoral packages will be sent to the 300 district councils for the official count.
Express reform, delayed results
The direct election of judges, magistrates, and justices was presented as a "historic transformation." However, the process has exposed the technical improvisation and political opportunism surrounding the reform.
The INE itself acknowledged that the count will be complex, technical, and with multiple logistical challenges, which fuels doubts about the cleanliness and integrity of the process.
President Claudia Sheinbaum insists that this election "democratizes the Judiciary," but every operational detail shows the opposite. Without robust citizen audits and with ballots saturated with unknown names, the process resembles more an imposed ratification than an authentic election.
Meanwhile, Morena celebrates in advance, the legitimacy of the future judges and justices becomes increasingly questionable.
A Judiciary at the service of the regime
The six positions to be voted on—justices, magistrates, and judges—will be filled by profiles pushed from the top of Morena. There will be no real competition or institutional checks and balances. This election sets up a Judiciary subordinate to the Executive, not to the Constitution.
The ten-day delay is not the biggest problem. The real risk is that Mexican courts will fall into the hands of the ruling party, eliminating one of the few checks on political power in the country.
Judicial independence can't survive where the polls are used as a sham. Meanwhile, Morena sells a "historic victory", what is really happening is the systematic demolition of Mexico's last democratic checks and balances.
