MEXICO CITY, May 23 (NNN-TELESUR) — Mexico’s Security Secretary (SSPC) Rosa Rodriguez confirmed that 13 candidates had been murdered since the start of electoral campaigns ahead of the upcoming June 6 subnational elections.
She informed that 398 candidates are currently under “monitoring and attention” status, 173 of whom are women. So far, the institution has protected 147 candidates and has registered 101 assaults.
San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, Guanajuato, Guerrero and Jalisco are among the territories that concentrate the highest number of assassinations.
Despite these official figures, a report by the consulting firm Etellekt Consultores climbed the number of murdered candidates to 32, 89 percent of whom were opponents of the mayors they intended to replace.
The Political Violence Indicator elaborated by the consultancy firm recorded 563 criminal acts against politicians and candidates such as homicides, robberies, kidnappings, and intimidation. At least 83 politicians lost their lives in attacks.
On Friday, Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) confirmed a 17.3 percent increase in the country’s intentional homicide compared to the first four months of last year.
Guanajuato, Baja California, Jalisco, Estado de Mexico, Michoacan y Chihuahua top the list. — NNN-TELESUR
