Elections in Mexico: candidate was murdered in Michoacán hours before the vote

The elections in Mexico have been marked by violence and a new event clouds this process, due to the assassination of Israel Delgado Vega, the ruling party’s candidate for trustee of the municipality of Cuitzeo, in Michoacán, a state in the west of the country, just a few hours before of the beginning of voting.

Regarding the victim, the State Attorney General’s Office indicated that he was 35 years old and was an applicant for the Labor Party, the National Regeneration Movement and the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico. This is the coalition that supports President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, reported the EFE news agency.

The crime is known to have occurred around 11:00 p.m. local time on Saturday outside his home, in the town of San Juan Benito Juárez.

Preliminary reports indicated that two men who were on a motorcycle shot him with a .223 caliber assault rifle.

Violence in Mexico due to the elections

Mexico has experienced intense months due to the murder of several politicians who aspire to different positions.
National government reports acknowledge that at least 22 candidates have been murdered. However, the numbers of independent groups are higher.

In total, there is talk of 250 political homicides, which include advisors, officials, family members and collateral victims.

In Mexican territory, the state of Michoacán is one of the states most affected by violence. Due to this situation, they decided not to open 84 voting centers, as they feared that conflicts would arise. This was reported by the National Electoral Institute.

The situation in this entity is so serious that it is reflected in the reports of the State Prosecutor’s Office, which records the murders of a total of nine pre-candidates, candidates or public officials, in addition to the disappearance of three more politicians.

These events are committed mainly by drug trafficking and organized crime groups, which seek control to continue committing crimes.

Although the climate in Mexico has been tense, some candidates like Xóchitl Gálvez, who aspires to the presidency with the opposition force Fuerza y ​​Corazón por México, said: “I would tell them ‘go out without fear.’ We already know that, in some parts of Chiapas (southern border state), polling stations (voting centers) will not be installed, I am very sorry.”

Keep reading:
• Xóchitl Gálvez called on voters to “go out without fear” after voting in Mexico City
• OAS Mission trusts that Mexicans “will overcome fear” in the elections
• At least 222 voting centers will not open in Mexico due to insecurity and conflicts