In northern Mexico, a candidate for mayor distributed at least 1,500 boxes of food bearing the Salvadoran government’s insignia, according to a report by the digital newspaper El Faro.
An aspiring mayor in the municipality of Tlahualilo, in the northern Mexican state of Durango, distributed 1,500 food parcels to potential voters in December.
This was normal, but the boxes he handed out had the Salvadoran government and Health Emergency Program (PES) logos printed and labeled “Social Welfare,” according to a publication by the digital newspaper El Faro.
The packages were distributed by Juan Carlos Cazares Sandoval, who has emerged as a candidate for mayor of Tlahualilo by the official party, Morena.
SEE: According to research, the United States urgently needs to help fight corruption in Central America
According to El Faro’s publication, the distribution took place on December 24, 2020 and later published on the official Facebook page close to the candidate in question.
“To support the homes of the various ejidos that are part of the irrigation module, today, December 24, 2020, it delivered the number of 1,500 well-stocked pantries, equivalent to 30 tons of food,” highlighted in the Cazares page, according to the Salvadoran digital media.
In October 2020, El Salvador’s Legislative Assembly forced President Nayib Bukele’s government to label all food aid packages with the legend “This food package is paid for with your taxes.”
Lawmakers approved this measure to prevent government officials from deriving electoral benefits from the distribution of food. This legend is visible on the packages paid for by Salvadorans and received by Mexican citizens.
SEE: El Salvador has seen an explosion of irregularities and corruption cases during a pandemic, Transparency International says
The delivery of parcels with the logos of the government of El Salvador was denounced by Cazares’ political opponents, who asked for explanations for the distribution of food parcels, which appear to come from Salvadoran public funds.
The government of Nayib Bukele has sent contingents paid by Salvadorans to Honduras and Guatemala, but there is no record of approving or shipping packages to Tlahualilo or anywhere else in Mexico.
Possible irregularities in the implementation of the government’s food program have led the Court to initiate several investigations, as previously confirmed by the auditor’s magistrates, something they confirmed to El Faro, as stated in the report.
In his note, El Faro reports that he has contacted candidate Cazares Sandoval, who delivered the packages, to get an explanation, but they have not received a response.
Cazares Sandoval’s opponents point out that the delivery of aid with Salvadoran insignia is “an absurdity” because in Mexico “on cruise ships Salvadorans keep begging for food. I don’t know who allowed this,” said Carlos Ávalos Sandoval. Chairman of the National Action Party (PAN) in Tlahualilo City.
For Pedro Sánchez Pérez, of the Campana ejido in Tlahualilo, it is a shame that these resources are used in this way.
“We know they are poorer than us in El Salvador, so we want them to do thorough research, because we also know that Module 6 is a step for the municipal presidency,” he said.