Elba Esther Gordillo

The SNTE teachers' union in Mexico has picked a new leader after previous head Elba Esther Gordillo was charged on Wednesday with fraud.

Juan Diaz de la Torre was appointed at an extraordinary congress of the SNTE, the most powerful union in the country.

The BBC's Will Grant in Mexico City says that his selection in effect strips Ms Gordillo of her title of president-for-life.

She will now have to face the charges without SNTE backing.

The woman known as "La Maestra" or "the teacher" reportedly spent millions at a US department store, on plastic surgery, property and a private plane. She had led the SNTE since 1989.

Her arrest came a day after the enactment of major educational reforms designed to change Mexico's union-dominated system, under which teaching positions could be inherited, and which had led to posts being sold.

Under the changes, teachers will have to undergo regular assessments, something that has previously never taken place inside Mexico's primary and secondary schools.