Killed After Mayoral Campaign Launch
Over 20 Reports of Election-Related Violence
Mayoral Elections Scheduled in 212 Locations on June 1
On the first day of the mayoral election campaign in Veracruz, a coastal region along the Gulf of Mexico, the ruling party’s candidate was killed in a mass shooting carried out by dozens of armed assailants. On April 29 (local time), the Associated Press reported that Anuar Valencia, a mayoral candidate from the National Regeneration Movement (Morena), was killed in a terrorist attack in Coxquihui, Veracruz. On that day, Valencia had just finished the campaign launch ceremony at the northern campaign headquarters in Veracruz and was preparing for a street march. At that moment, around 20 armed men suddenly appeared and opened fire indiscriminately, killing him instantly at the scene. Dozens of others were also injured in the attack.
Luisa Alcalde, the leader of Morena, the ruling party to which President Claudia Sheinbaum belongs, paid tribute to Valencia during a press conference. Prior to the incident, Ricardo Ahued Bardahuil, Minister of the Interior, stated that mayoral candidates in several regions had filed more than 20 reports and complaints with the state prosecutor’s office regarding public security issues. The upcoming local elections to select mayors for 212 cities and towns in Veracruz are scheduled for June 1.
Meanwhile, candidates in Mexican local elections have historically been vulnerable to electoral violence, resulting in numerous casualties. This is because local organized crime groups have frequently carried out terrorist activities in attempts to seize control of local governments and city administrations. According to a recent survey by Integralia, a Mexican political consulting firm, around 200 public officials, politicians, and candidates were either killed or threatened with murder ahead of last year’s elections in Mexico, with more than 50 victims in Guerrero state alone.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
