Hundreds of thousands of Mexicans joined protests on Sunday against a radical overhaul of institutions driven by populist President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, calling it a threat to democracy.
During five years in office, López Obrador has cut the budgets of many of state institutions, and recently proposed that board members of the election authority INE and Supreme Court judges should be directly elected. He says his vision will save money and make authorities more accountable.
Civil society groups, academics and the opposition warn that the proposals would damage checks and balances. On Sunday, crowds wearing pink — the colour of INE’s logo — and waving national flags marched through Mexico City and other cities to reject the president’s vision.