Mexico: Mayoral candidates gunned down as drug cartels vie influence ahead of June elections
Mexico pre-poll violence
The violence in PresidentAndrés Manuel López Obrador's Mexico continues unabated. The latest incident occurred in Maravatio where two candidates who were standing for the position ofmayor were shot dead within hours of each other ahead of the June 2 elections.
The drug cartels have been tightening their grip on the South American country with violence particularly escalating in the run-up to the elections.
Mexico elections, mayor candidates shot dead: What happened?
Armando Pérez, the mayoral candidate for the conservative National Action Party, wasshot dead in his car in Maravatio just before midnight, state prosecutors announced on Tuesday (Feb 27). Pérez's killing came even before the formal commencement of election campaigns.
The election campaigns are scheduled to begin later this week onFriday (Mar 1).
Also watch | Mexico Elections: Violence hits record peak
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Marko Cortés, the leader of the National Action Party, took to social media and said, "This illustrates the extremely serious level of violence and lack of safety that prevails ahead of the most important elections in Mexican history."
The ruling Morena party also faced a devastating blow, with their candidate, Miguel Ángel Zavala, found shot to death in his car a day earlier.
While Morena officials denounced the act as "cowardly and reprehensible," Juan Pablo Celis, head of Morena in Michoacan, clarified that Zavala had expressed his intention to run but had not yet been officially designated as the party’s candidate.
Drug cartel violence flashpoint in Mexico
Michoacan, a western state grappling with intense gang turf wars, particularly between the Jalisco New Generation cartel and the local Viagras gang, stands as a poignant example of the escalating violence.
Civic Data, a watchdog group in a January report on political violence, said: "2023 was the most violent year in our database. And everything suggests that 2024 will be worse."
Mexico conducts its mayoral, state, and federal elections all at once.
For cartels, extorting protection payments from local businesses and governments remainsa lucrative revenue stream.
(With inputs from agencies)