Mexican President applauds Senate's approval of judicial reform bill

MEXICO CITY: Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador celebrated the Senate's approval of his administration's judicial reform package.

At a regular daily press conference, Lopez Obrador said the bill's approval sets an "example for the world."

"I think it is very important to end corruption and impunity, and much progress will be made when the people of Mexico freely elect the judges, the magistrates and the ministers," he told reporters.

The Senate passed the initiative early on Wednesday with a vote of 86 to 41, applauding the result, which cemented a victory for the outgoing president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has championed the proposal, reports Xinhua news agency.

The overhaul will take effect once published in Mexico's official gazette.

The approval followed tense debate and political drama as the ruling coalition began on Tuesday one seat short of the super-majority needed to pass the constitutional changes.

Among other changes, the reforms propose the popular election of judges and magistrates, including those serving on the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation.