Here they risk their lives - to become local politicians

 

Murder

At least 25 murdered - Mexico heading for bloodiest election ever

Lukas Jacobson

Published 20.28

Two people on a motorcycle suddenly pulled up alongside mayoral candidate Armando Perez's car, and shot him to death. And he is just one of 25 candidates murdered since the election campaign kicked off last September. Photo: Fernando Llano/AP

25 murdered people who dreamed of representing the people.

The election year in Mexico looks set to be the bloodiest the country has seen.

- Cartels make an agreement and say: "This person will be mayor", says the president.

It is described as the most important election campaign in the country's history by the Spanish-language newspaper El País.

On the second of June, the people will go to the premises to vote in the presidential, parliamentary and local elections. A nationwide election that is about to become the deadliest ever in Mexiko.

Since the election process began in September, at least 25 candidates have been murdered, according to Animal Politico.
 

Found beaten to death on the island 

 
Running for mayor has proven to be among the most dangerous things you can do. On Friday, the latest victims were found in the ever-increasing death list.

Alberto Antonio García ran for mayor of San José Independencia in southern Mexico. He and his wife were reported missing on Thursday. The next day, he was found beaten to death on an island near the city he wanted to represent, AP writes. An island in an area where a drug cartel has been active.

The wife was found alive, but badly injured.
 

The stabbing in the street at lunchtime

In northern Mexico, in the city of Mante, Noé Ramos ran for re-election as mayor. He was out campaigning on Friday and was seen live on Facebook at 11:35am.

- It's something very special when people give me a glass of water, invite me for tacos or tamales. It makes me happy and motivates me to keep working, Ramos said in the broadcast according to El País.

An hour later he was murdered. He was stabbed in the middle of a street at lunchtime and was left lying on the ground.

             

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador often has to answer questions about acts of violence against politicians during his daily press conferences at the presidential palace. Photo: Eduardo Verdugo/AP
 

Double murder within hours

In February, the country was rocked by another double murder, but then they happened in the same city. Miguel Ángel Zavala was a mayoral candidate in Maravatío where he worked as a gynecologist on a daily basis.

When he left the clinic after a day's work, he was shot while sitting in his car. Two assailants shot him at close range before fleeing in a car, according to testimony.

Just hours later, one of Zavala's competitors in the election, Armando Perez Luna, was shot while sitting in his car by two people on a motorcycle.

- This shows the extreme level of violence and lack of security that prevails before the most important election in Mexican history, says Marko Cortés, leader of the National Action Party that Perez Lunas represented.
 

Requested protection - taken care of

The wave of murders has caused the government to appoint bodyguards to 250 people, AP writes. But those who stand in local elections are the last in line to receive personal protection, while at the same time they are the most vulnerable.

In Celaya, in central Mexico, mayoral candidate Bertha Gisela Gaytán held a press conference on April 1. She had recently launched her campaign highlighting how she would fight corruption and improve security. She had requested protection during her candidacy.

Later that day, a video was spread on social media, which Reuters writes about. A crowd with red flags chants "Morena", the name of the party Gaytán represented. In the same video, the sound of six gunshots is heard.

Gaytán dies on the spot. Also party colleague Adrián Guerrero who ran for the city council. Morena, which is the largest party in Mexico, has been the most exposed to violence in the election campaign.

The Mexican police have tried for decades to overcome the violent gang crime in the country, but have not succeeded. Photo: Marco Ugarte/AP

Four percent lead to prosecution

The major problems facing the judiciary are no secret. The country's incumbent President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has said that cartels often try to influence the outcome of special local elections.

- They make an agreement and say: "This person will become mayor. We don't want anyone else to run.” If someone else is running, then yes, they know what to expect, the president said, according to the AP.

No one has been convicted of any of the politician murders yet. Generally, only four percent of the prosecution's investigations lead to a trial, according to El País.

Of the 2.2 million investigations launched in 2022, only 96,500 cases led to prosecution.