MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – More than 100 murders of Mexican officials and candidates in recent months indicate that the country’s midterm elections will be the most violent in decades, local consulting firm Etellekt said in a report.
Between September 2020 and the first week of March, 126 Mexican politicians and candidates were murdered.
On June 6, Mexicans will elect 500 lawmakers, 15 governors and more than 20,000 local officials.
“So far, the number of these crimes is lower than the number registered in the 2018 elections, but it is increasing,” said Ruben Salazar, director of the consultancy.
“In March alone, one politician was murdered every day. If this rate continues, it could be the most violent election since the Mexican Revolution, ”he said, referring to the armed conflict between 1910 and 1917.
Salazar said most of the politicians killed were members of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, which was in power several times between 1930 and 2000.
Attacks on all politicians increased by 4% compared to the 2018 presidential election, including cases of kidnapping, theft, violence and threats, the report released Friday found.
Rosa Rodriguez, head of the Ministry of Security, promised a protection plan for candidates this week. The plan establishes protocols depending on the level of political violence, crime incidence and risks to the electoral process, Rodriguez said.
Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Editing by Leslie Adler