Another Mexican candidate killed, number rises to 37

The current election cycle in Mexico is the deadliest in the country’s modern history. On Friday, another candidate for the parliamentary elections was assassinated after Jorge Huerta Cabrera, who was running for a seat on the city council of Izucar de Matamoros in the state of Puebla, was assassinated at a political rally. Cabrera is the 37th candidate killed ahead of elections scheduled for Sunday.

The videotaped attack adds a tiny nudge to ensure that the death toll in 2024 will surpass that of the 2021 midterm elections, in which 36 candidates were assassinated.

This video was published a few minutes before the PVEM appointed the registration candidate, Jorge Huerta Cabrera. #IzucarDeMatamoros #PUBLA

I confirm that members of the team of Lorenzo Suárez, candidate of the #PRI.

What do I need to know from the priest’s side? pic.twitter.com/yToA7R10Sj

— Sin Censorship (@_VicenteSerrano) June 1, 2024

The ongoing violence has once again put the issue of violent crime in the North American state in the spotlight, as the opposition uses the high crime rate politically to challenge President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s Morena party after it consolidated its position on the back of the outgoing president’s popularity.

Claudia Sheinbaum: Leading candidate in the elections

Claudia Sheinbaum, the ruling party’s candidate, is expected to win the presidential election and possibly become Mexico’s first female president, but escalating violence is casting a shadow over the election.

Data from the consulting firm Integralia shows a sharp rise in non-lethal attacks on candidates. During the current election period, 828 incidents were reported, compared to 749 last Monday. Analysts attribute this rise in violence to the intertwining of powerful drug cartels and corrupt local governments, which poses great risks for potential candidates.

Just on Thursday, a candidate for mayor in the town of Coyuca de Benitez, Mexico, was shot dead during a campaign rally. That candidate was one of 560 people, including election officials, assigned to state security services due to ongoing threats.

Mayoral candidate Alfredo Cabera was shot multiple times by an assailant who approached him from behind as he greeted his supporters. The incident was filmed by a supporter attending the rally and shows the moments leading up to Cabera’s tragic death.

Another video circulating on social media shows the scene after the attack, with both Cabera and the attacker lying dead after the attacker was also shot dead by security forces.

In a post on X, Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado condemned the “cowardly” act and called on the state prosecutor’s office to apply “the full force of the law against the person or persons responsible.”