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MEXICO CITY – As Mexicans prepare to vote in the country’s presidential election on Sunday, 2024 has proven to be one of the most violent years for candidates and election officials in the country, with more than 225 killed, according to reports.
On Wednesday, José Alfredo Cabrera Barrientos was murdered in front of supporters while campaigning for mayor of Coyuca de Benitez, in Guerrero state. He was ahead in the polls, in a region where the cartels are particularly strong.
According to Data Cívica, the victims of electoral political violence increased 235.7% from 2018 to 2023, during the term of the Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) administration, with 2024 being the most violent year so far.
“I was leaving a neighborhood assembly late at night in the Peralvillo neighborhood when I suffered a cowardly attack. They shot me 6 times while I was inside my vehicle,” said Alessandra Rojo de la Vega, candidate for mayor of Alcaldía Cuauhtémoc in Mexico City, who survived an assassination attempt a few days ago, in comments to Fox News Digital.
She blamed the lack of security being provided by officials. “This has not been the worst thing I have had to go through, but rather facing a prosecutor’s office that responds to government orders. I have been fighting for women victims of violence for 6 years so that they have access to justice. We help 30 women a day here in Mexico City and I know what the prosecutor’s office does, the criminal negligence with which they act. And when it happens to you, it feels so much deeper.”
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN RALLY IN MEXICO TURNS DEADLY AFTER STRONG GUST OF WIND TOPPLES STAGE
A soldier walks at a scene where an explosive device was found by a person scavenging for recyclables in Mexicali, Mexico, May 27, 2024. (REUTERS/Victor Medina)
While the Mexican president’s spokesperson did not respond to Fox News Digital, Reuters recently reported that AMLO deemed the new data “sensationalism.” The Reuters report noted that AMLO defended his record, pointing to a drop of 5% in homicides in 2023 compared to 2022.
According to a report from the Mexican consulting firm Integralia, political violence has left 701 victims from September 2023 to May 19, 2024, including 225 murders of candidates, politicians or former officials seeking office on June 2.
Claudia Sheinbaum, center, candidate for mayor of Mexico City, speaks during the final event of the 2018 Presidential Campaign at Azteca Stadium on June 27, 2018 in Mexico City.