The Mexican Senate approved the transfer of the National Guard under military command despite criticism of deepening the militarization of the country, reported the Associated Press, quoted by BTA.
It is the second constitutional change in two weeks, giving outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador another victory days before he leaves office. On September 11, Congress passed a controversial judicial reform he had pushed for that would force all judges in the country to run for office, raising concerns about the politicization of the judiciary.
The National Guard was a branch of the security forces, conceived as a structure under the umbrella of the Ministry of Security and Civilian Protection so as to be under civilian control.
After debates that lasted all night, the ruling MORENA party and its allies overcame opposition fueled by concerns from human rights organizations and the United Nations. They denied that the change would militarize the country, saying instead that the military would help the National Guard become a more effective arm of the security force system.
The president has previously tried to put the National Guard under military command, but last year the Supreme Court declared that unconstitutional.
In 2019, López Obrador disbanded Mexico's federal police and created the National Guard. Although it includes ex-police officers, the majority of its members are military police, and the command structure is made up of recently retired military personnel.
Since then, governments have relied heavily on the military, as civilian police cannot deal with the country's powerful drug cartels.
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Source: www.bta.bg