Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The lower house of Mexico's Congress has passed legislation aimed at restructuring the Attorney General's Office amid a growing wave of homicides in the country.
The bill must still be signed into law by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
Lopez Obrador's Morena party backed the measure, which gives the Senate a role in proposing candidates to fill the top prosecutor post, which has been vacant for over a year.
Opposition parties criticized the bill, saying it does not guarantee enough independence or oversight for the new attorney general.
They also noted the bill reduces the number of specialized assistant prosecutors' offices to four: human rights, corruption, electoral crime, and internal affairs. There have previously been such offices for areas like organized crime, human trafficking and crimes against women.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
