Bolivia set to hold judicial ballot
Government says elected judges will help ease court backlog besides overcrowding and corruption in prisons.
Published On 16 Oct 2011
Described by the government as a bold step to hold judges more accountable and improve the judicial system, Bolivians will elect judges by popular vote – the first vote of its kind in South America.
Bolivian prisoners are hoping the move will help the country’s notoriously slow justice system run more efficiently.
However, critics of the plan argue that the judicial ballot has been stacked with judges favoured by President Evo Morales, which could undermine judicial independence.
Al Jazeera’s Gabriel Elizondo reports from the capital, La Paz.