Bolivia holds a divisive popular vote for its top judges, offering lessons for the region

Campaigning for Sunday's judicial election may be strictly forbidden, but look closer on the streets of Bolivia's capital, La Paz, and you'll find that some candidates have sneakily plastered their faces on packs of corn puffs and others have slipped subtle slogans into official voting manuals.

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After all, it's a popular vote, and even a bit of PR can work wonders when voters know nothing about the dozens of names on their sprawling ballot papers.

Bolivia is the only country in the world that holds elections for top judicial posts. Soon Mexico will, too, after former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador pushed through a highly contentious overhaul of the justice system in the face of mass protests.

As Bolivia's ex-President Evo Morales (Photo) did when remaking the judiciary in 2009, López Obrador has championed the overhaul as a way to purge the corrupt elite and boost democracy.