PND 2025-2030: Governance and Justice in Focus

The Mexican government has presented its National Development Plan (PND) 2025-2030 , the guiding document that will outline the administration's objectives and actions during the next six-year term, with a central focus on governance, justice, and citizen participation.

The National Development Plan (PND) 2025-2030 serves as the Mexican government's roadmap for the next six years, articulating its objectives and actions in various spheres. This plan is based on the " One Hundred Government Commitments for the Period 2025-2030," structured into Fourteen Republics , and is framed by the principles of Mexican Humanism. These principles include shared prosperity, honest governance, democracy as government by the people, unrestricted respect for human rights, non-repression, the promotion of diversity, and the defense of national sovereignty.

The National Development Plan (PND) seeks to strengthen the welfare state, guarantee security with justice, promote equitable economic development, and ensure sustainability as the foundation for the country's future. In the area of ​​security, the strategy is based on four main pillars: addressing the root causes of crime, using intelligence and investigation, strengthening the National Guard, and promoting zero impunity. A central focus of the proposal regarding justice is the pursuit of greater autonomy for the judiciary, which is intended to be achieved through popular vote for judges, magistrates, and ministers, with the stated goal of eradicating corruption in this branch.

However, this proposal for judicial autonomy through popular vote directly contradicts the warnings issued by the OAS and various experts on the subject. The OAS, in its report, explicitly noted that judicial election, as implemented, does not guarantee the autonomy or independence of the judiciary, and could even weaken it. This discrepancy between the political objective stated in the NDP and external observations regarding the results of the judicial election underscores a significant challenge for the government in reconciling its narrative with the criticisms and observed results.

The National Democratic Party (PND) emphasizes citizen participation as a fundamental pillar of its development, highlighting the holding of forums throughout the country to gather the opinions of the Mexican people. This commitment to popular participation is a central tenet of the plan. However, the recent judicial election, which was also presented as an exercise in democratic participation, registered extremely high abstention, exceeding 85% of the electorate. This low turnout suggests a possible gap between the government's stated intention to encourage citizen participation and the actual public response, or the perception of the effectiveness of such mechanisms. The outcome of the judicial election raises questions about the depth of "citizen participation" and whether these forums truly capture popular sentiment or are primarily symbolic.

The government faces the challenge of aligning its vision of an autonomous and participatory judiciary with the reality of an electoral process whose legitimacy and influence over the nomination of candidates have been questioned. Implementing the pillars of the National Development Plan (PND) in a context of criticism regarding judicial independence and low citizen participation will be a determining factor for the administration's success in achieving its governance and justice objectives. The ability to address these discrepancies and build genuine trust in institutions will be crucial for Mexico's political future.