Lawyer Sylvia Delgado, who defended a drug lord chosen as a judge

A former defense lawyer at the Hoaquin Lord “El Chapo” Guzman was elected a judge in the first of his kind elections in Mexico.

Tali, published on Tuesday, showed that Sylvia Delgado won enough votes to secure a position as a local criminal judge in the city of Sidad Juarez, on the US and Mexico border.

Her candidacy was one of the most reflected in the election held on June 1st.

A leading transparency organization has accused Delgado of being one of several candidates with alleged links to organized crime in the newsletter, an accusation that she rejected furiously, arguing that she was simply doing her job by defending El Chapo.

The 51-year-old lawyer was part of the El Chapo defense team before the famous Lord of Drugs was extradited from Mexico to the United States in 2017.

The Sinaloa cartel leader was found guilty of drug trafficking in 2019 and served a life sentence in the Supermax prison in Colorado.

In an interview with the BBC before the election, Delgado claims that El Chapo is entitled to a legal adviser and rejects conflict of interest proposals if she is elected judge.

Following the publication of the vote on Tuesday, Delgado said she would refrain from commenting until her victory was officially confirmed.

The court elections were the first of its kind to be held in Mexico after a radical reform submitted by the ruling Moren Party.

Her supporters said the election of judges – including the Supreme Court judges – with a direct vote would make the judicial system more democratic and viewed before the voters.

But his critics say it undermines the independence of the judiciary.

The turnout was low by 13% – the largest in every federal vote conducted in Mexico – which many observers said there was little enthusiasm among Mexicans for direct selection of judges.

However, President Claudia Shainbaum said the election was a huge success.