The second mayoral candidate died in Mexico's state of Veracruz ahead of the June 1 election
Authorities confirm, Mexico (AP) — Authorities confirmed that the gunman killed the mayoral candidate for the Mexican council in Veracruz, the Gulf Coast, and four other people accompany her were the second local candidate to kill the state before the June 1 election.
Later Monday, two federal agents were reported to have been killed in another part of the state.
The attack by Morena Party candidate Yesenia Lara Gutiérrez took place on Sunday when she led a supporter's caravan through Texistepec. Three more people were injured.
Veracruz Governor Rocío Nahle, who is also the party of Claudia Sheinbaum President Morena’s party, said on Monday that the daughter of Lara Gutiérrez was killed.
Texistepec is a 20,000 township in Coatzacoalcos, an important oil industry port.
“There is no (elected) position worth dying,” Naller said in a press conference on Monday.
“All the power of the state will appear in the next few days so that the election is free and democratic,” she said.
At a wake-up in Texistepec on Monday, family and friends mourned Lara Gutiérrez and spoke of fear that caused violence around the election.
“We can't continue to feel insecurity, we're tired of all this, and that's terrorism,” said supporter Joaquín Fonseca. “There are five people dead, none of them. We're in the worst terrorism in our lives.”
Family friend Cruz Morales said the violence was so bad that “we were afraid to get into the fields and meet our family at night because we didn’t know what would happen along the way.”
Lara Gutiérrez is the second mayoral candidate to be killed in Veracruz during the campaign. On April 29, the first official day of the campaign, the gunman killed Germán Anuar Valencia, who also killed the campaign headquarters of Coxquihui in Veracruz in northern Coxquihui.
Nah said there are 57 local candidates asking for security provided by the state and federal governments. It is not clear whether Lara Gutiérrez has it.
Municipal elections are scheduled to be held on June 1 at 212 municipalities in Veracruz.
Historically, local candidates are the most vulnerable to electoral violence as organized criminal groups try to control local governments.
Later Monday, local media reported that two federal agents and a third person were killed in the attack on the coastal city of Boca del Rio in the coastal city of Veracruz. Associated Press photojournalists saw federal agents and soldiers staying out of the periphery around the shooting.
Neither state nor federal authorities immediately responded to requests to confirm the toll.
___
Alemán report is from Xalapa, Mexico.
