Mexico’s dominant political party nears a majority in Congress with two senators switching sides

Mexico’s ruling Morena party is nearing a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress after two opposition senators defected. The party won over two senators from the now-defunct Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), leading to the PRD’s disappearance as a national party due to poor election results.

Having secured a two-thirds majority in the lower house, Morena is now one vote away from a similar majority in the Senate, enabling them to push through controversial changes to the Constitution. One proposed change is to make all judges stand for election, a move criticized for potentially concentrating power in the presidency and compromising judicial independence and integrity.

President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed that two opposition senators, Araceli Saucedo and José Sabino, had joined Morena’s ranks, drawing criticism and accusations of betrayal from their former allies in the opposition. Social media users brought attention to campaign promises made by the two senators not to switch parties before the elections.

Despite hopes for more consensus-building, Sheinbaum’s party appointed Senator Gerardo Fernández Noroña, known for his confrontational speeches and refusal to wear a face mask during the pandemic, as the Senate leader. Meanwhile, Representative Adán Augusto López, described as an old-style political enforcer, was chosen to lead the lower house.

With likely approval from electoral court judges for Morena’s two-thirds majority in the lower house, the party aims to implement around 20 Constitutional changes. Morena may convince another senator from a smaller party to join them. These changes also require endorsement from two-thirds of state legislatures, with Morena and allies controlling the majority of states.

U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar expressed concerns about the proposed judicial reforms, warning of potential risks to Mexico’s democracy and the bilateral relationship with the U.S. Outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador responded by putting relations with the U.S. Embassy “on pause” following the ambassador’s remarks.