Narcopolitics bloodies Mexico’s campaign trail

By Pedro Pablo Cortés

Mexico City, Jun 3 (EFE).- Mexico has borne witness to one of the bloodiest campaign trails in recent history with more than 230 assassinations linked to narcopolitics in the run-up to this week’s election despite the government’s pledge of protection.

Etellekt, a risk consultancy firm, has documented 724 instances of crimes against politicians, including murder, threats, kidnapping, robbery and intimidation since preparations for the elections began on September 7.

“Without a doubt, in global terms, this election will be the most violent since 2000,” said Etellekt director, Rubén Salazar.

Of the 230 people killed, 88 were politicians, 99 civil servants, 10 collaborators and 34 were family members of a politician.

Some 90% of the attacks were against local politicians and three-quarters of those killed were in opposition to the current government in their state.

Some 44% of the victims belonged to the opposition alliance Va por México (“It’s for Mexico”), which brings together conservative and social democratic parties and is opposed to the left-wing alliance of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

“Yes, it’s a demonstration not only of the narcopolitics in our country, but also of a true criminal state present in the three levels of governance — the municipal, the state and federal levels,” Salazar said.

One of the candidates who sought protection was Lía Limón, a member of Va por México running for the town hall in the Mexico City municipality of Álvaro Obregón. She accused her opponent, from the governing left-wing National Regeneration Movement (Morena) movement, of gender-based political violence.

“It’s been a constant attack that we have reported to the authorities, as has happened in other states, there’s an unprecedented number of candidates who have lost their lives, not just one case, enough is enough,” she told Efe.