According to government reports, at least 64 politicians have been killed in Mexico in the past six months. Criminal organizations are trying to influence the upcoming elections through violence and intimidation, said Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez yesterday. Before the parliamentary, regional and local elections planned for the beginning of June, protection for the candidates will be increased.
Local politicians in Mexico in particular are often exposed to the violence of drug gangs. They fall victim to deadly attacks or are blackmailed. Threats against relatives, arson and extortion are also widespread.
Drug war with over 300,000 dead
Mayor Florisel Rios was kidnapped and murdered in Veracruz state in November. In January a member of the regional parliament of Guanajuato, Juan Antonio Acosta Cano, was shot dead. Mayor Leobardo Ramos Lazaro was killed in the southern state of Oaxaca in February.
According to the Etellekt Institute, a total of 153 politicians were murdered in the 2018 election campaign. In the vast majority of cases, the perpetrators were not held accountable. Mexico has suffered from the violence of the powerful drug cartels for many years. Since an army operation against the gangs began in 2006, more than 300,000 people have been killed in the Mexican drug war.
