Two Mayoral Hopefuls of a Mexican City Are Shot Dead Within Hours of Each Other
Two mayoral candidates in the Mexican city of Maravatío have been assassinated within hours of each other, highlighting concerns that the upcoming June 2 national elections could be the country's most violent on record.
The increasing influence of drug cartels in Mexico poses a significant threat. In the last nationwide election in 2021, approximately three dozen candidates were killed.
Campaigning hasn't even commenced yet; it formally begins on Friday.
On Tuesday, residents of this farming town, where most men sport boots and big belt buckles, were in a state of cautious shock following the previous day’s killings. Dozens of state police were visible around city hall.
Speaking about gynecologist Miguel Ángel Zavala, one of the murdered candidates, Maravatío resident and homemaker Carmen Luna expressed shock and incomprehension at the crime. "The way I see it, there's no justification for taking a life ... it might have been a power struggle between them."
Luna, who was one of Zavala's patients, ruled out any potential personal motive in his killing. “He was one of the best doctors in town," she said. “He took care of me and was very good. He was very friendly.”
While Luna admitted she hadn't voted in years, she stated that the killings left people “angry and feeling powerless because if the government doesn't take action, you can't do anything.”
Maravatío Mayor Jaime Hinojosa Campa admitted he had not been informed about threats against the mayoral hopefuls, but he asserted that “everything indicates” organized crime was behind the killings. He mentioned that authorities were devising security protocols for the remaining candidates, who understandably fear for their safety.
"What happened yesterday scared all of us,” he remarked.
State prosecutors disclosed on Tuesday that Armando Pérez Luna, the mayoral candidate for the conservative National Action Party, was found shot dead in his car in Maravatío just before midnight.
“This underscores the extremely grave level of violence and lack of security that prevails ahead of the most crucial elections in Mexican history,” wrote Marko Cortés, leader of the National Action Party, on social media.
Hours earlier, officials from the ruling Morena party confirmed that their mayoral hopeful, Zavala, was found shot to death on Monday in his car.
The Morena party state committee labeled Zavala's killing as “a cowardly and reprehensible act.” Juan Pablo Celis, the head of the Morena party in Michoacan, stated that while Zavala had announced his intention to run, he had not yet been designated as the party's candidate.
Another Morena mayoral hopeful was killed last year.
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