MEXICO: Two mayoral candidates were killed in Mexico, one in the country’s northeast and another in the south, authorities confirmed on Saturday— highlighting a surge in political violence ahead of June elections.
In Tamaulipas, a state afflicted by organized crime along the US border, a manhunt was initiated for the assailant who fatally stabbed candidate Noe Ramos, stated state Attorney General Irving Barrios.
According to local reports, Ramos, a center-right candidate seeking reelection as head of the municipality of Mante, was attacked while engaging with residents on the streets. He succumbed to his injuries shortly after the assault, as confirmed by state security spokesman Jorge Cuellar to Milenio television.
Meanwhile, in the southern state of Oaxaca, another mayoral candidate, Alberto Antonio Garcia, was discovered deceased on Friday after being reported missing earlier in the week, according to the state prosecutor’s office.
Authorities had been searching for Garcia, a candidate representing the ruling Morena party, and his wife, Agar Cancino, the current mayor of San Jose Independencia, following their disappearance on Wednesday.
While Cancino was found alive on Friday, Garcia was found dead, the prosecutor’s office revealed.
The cycle of violence associated with organized crime has long claimed the lives of Mexican politicians across party lines, particularly those holding or vying for regional positions.
According to consulting firm Integralia, 15 candidates for regional positions have been murdered since the commencement of the process for the June general elections on September 23 — a statistic that preceded the deaths of Ramos and Garcia.
Earlier this month, an aspiring mayor in one of Mexico’s most dangerous cities, Celaya, was fatally shot in the street during a visit to connect with supporters.
