Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Tuesday announced a "pause" in diplomatic relations with the United States and Canadian embassies following criticism from both countries regarding his proposed judicial overhaul.
The judicial overhaul proposal, suggested by the Mexican president during his final weeks in office, includes the process of appointing judges to an electoral system. However, critics argue this move could lead to a judiciary filled with politically biased judges lacking experience. The proposal has sparked widespread protests within Mexico and drawn ire from investors and financial institutions.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, López Obrador expressed frustration over comments made by U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar, who had earlier warned that the judicial reform could pose a "risk" to democracy and potentially harm the economic relationship between Mexico and the U.S.
The president was quick to dismiss Salazar's concerns, suggesting they were facilitated by the U.S. State Department rather than the ambassador himself.
"We're not going to tell him (Salazar) to leave the country," López Obrador said, "I hope that they promise to be respectful of Mexican's independence, of our country's sovereignty. But until that happens, and they continue these policies, it's on pause."
He added: "We are going to take our time."
López Obrador also accused Canada of interfering with an internal matter for expressing apprehension about the proposal.
Newsweek reached out to the U.S.-Mexico embassy via email on Tuesday for comment.
While López Obrador didn't elaborate on what a pause would mean or what effects it might have on diplomatic or economic relations, the three countries are deeply intertwined with commercial trade reaching an estimated $1.8 trillion in 2022.
López Obrador's remarks come after U.S. officials have recently refrained from escalating the situation, with Salazar writing on X (formerly Twitter) that he was open to a dialogue and that he respected Mexican sovereignty. However, members of the bipartisan U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee have voiced "deep concern" over the proposed reforms.
Meanwhile, this isn't the first time López Obrador has used the concept of a diplomatic pause. In 2022, he declared a similar stance with Spain over disputes involving energy companies, though that rift eventually simmered down without a formal break in relations as López Obrador said the pause "is not a break in relations," but "nothing more than a respectful and fraternal protest against the abuses and grievances committed against the people of Mexico and our country."
The tensions come at a delicate time as López Obrador prepares to hand over the presidency to Claudia Sheinbaum, his political ally and Mexico's first woman president-elect.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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