MEXICO – Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is halting diplomatic relations with the US and Canadian embassies after their ambassadors criticized his proposal to have judges elected by popular vote.

López Obrador announced the move during his daily press conference on Tuesday, saying the “pause” is with the embassies and not the countries. He said relations will be reestablished once the diplomats are “respectful of the independence of Mexico, of the sovereignty of our country.” CNN has contacted the US and Canadian embassies in Mexico for comment.

López Obrador’s proposal for judicial reform is part of a package of constitutional changes he has been seeking, which have yet to be approved. On Monday, a congressional committee approved the proposal, and it now requires two-thirds approval in both chambers of Congress.

The reforms include a range of issues in areas like pensions and the energy sector, but they also include controversial judicial and institutional reforms, which critics say would weaken the separation of powers and see the disappearance of some independent regulatory agencies.

US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said last Thursday that he believes a “popular direct election of judges is a major risk to the functioning of Mexico’s democracy.” Salazar stressed that judicial reforms should ensure the judiciary would be strengthened and not “subject to the corruption of politics.”

The ambassador also said the move could impact the US-Mexico trade relations. The US and Mexico are each other’s top trading partners. (CNN)…[+]