CELAYA, Mexico: Amid a wave of violence against local politicians ahead of the June 2 election, a female mayoral candidate was shot while campaigning in central Mexico, her party said.
According to the Laboratorio Electoral think tank, the murder of Gisela Gaytan, who was running for mayor of Celay, brought the number of candidates to 30 in the last nine months.
Alma Alcaraz, another candidate of the ruling Morena party, said: “They have just murdered our candidate from Celaya… This is something that has us angry, shocked, in mourning. We are going to suspend campaign activities.”
Gaytan, 38, was killed while preparing for a campaign rally and said at a press conference early Monday that he had requested protection for the campaign.
Diego Sinhue, the governor of Guanajuato state, where the killings took place, wrote on X, formerly twitter, that the attack will not go unpunished.
According to the local prosecutor’s office, three other people were also injured in this shooting.
The prevalence of organized crime-related violence in Mexico affects politicians of various political parties, especially those holding or aspiring to local or state office.
On Saturday, Guillermo Torres, the mayor of Michoacan’s Churumuco municipality, was shot and killed in a restaurant.
Also in March, mayoral candidates were murdered in Puebla (center), Jalisco (west) and Guerrero (south) states.
According to the election think tank, 50 people were killed in electoral violence between June 4, 2023 and March 26 this year, 26 of them aiming for popular seats.
