LA PAZ (Reuters) – Bolivia’s Congress has given  leftist President Evo Morales the go-ahead to make top judicial  appointments in legislation that his opponents say gives him  too much power.

Opposition lawmakers said the law passed late on Friday  deals a blow to checks and balances in the poor Andean country  by granting Morales authority to appoint interim supreme and  constitutional court judges.

The first indigenous president of the natural-gas rich  nation already controls the legislature after his landslide  re-election in December.

The law stipulates that any interim appointments by Morales  in the judiciary will only last until December when permanent  supreme and constitutional court judges will be elected in a  nationwide vote.

Right-wing Senator Maria Elva Pinckert held up placards  that said “Democracy died today” and “Democracy, rest in peace”  during Friday’s session of Congress, local media reported.

Ruling party lawmakers argue that the law is necessary to  deal with thousands of cases pending in the courts and reduce  chronic delays in the administration of justice.

Several court posts remain empty because Morales was not  previously able to secure the two-thirds majority in Congress  needed to appoint replacements for judges who had resigned.