Wave of Violence Targets Political Candidates Across Mexico Ahead of Elections

Mica for cartelinsider.com

On May 28, 2024, Ricardo Arizmendi Reynoso, the alternate candidate for Mayor of Cuautla, Morelos, through the coalition “Dignity and Security for Morelos Let’s Go Everyone,” was assassinated inside a business in Tetelcingo. The coalition includes the PAN, PRI, PRD, and RSP parties. Lucía Virginia Meza Guzmán, gubernatorial candidate for the same coalition, condemned the murder and blamed Cuautla’s mayor, Rodrigo Arredondo López, and the state’s governor on leave, Cuauhtémoc Blanco Bravo. Rafael Alejandro Moreno Cárdenas, president of the PRI, also condemned the assassination, attributing it to the government’s incompetence.

Arizmendi Reynoso, who had been a merchant for 32 years, was shot six times by two individuals on a motorcycle. The leader of the merchants at the Plaza 12 de Octubre and a woman were also injured in the attack. Arizmendi had recently expressed concerns about insecurity and endorsed Jesús Corona Damián for mayor in a social media video. Despite no prior security threats, the State Public Security Commission initiated an operation to apprehend the perpetrators, with no arrests reported.

The same day, Gilberto Palomar González, Morena’s candidate for the Municipal Presidency of Encarnación de Díaz, Jalisco, was shot along with his brother and personal secretary at his campaign headquarters. Claudia Delgadillo González, gubernatorial candidate for Jalisco, condemned the violence and called for justice.

Additionally, Juan Sandoval, Movimiento Ciudadano’s candidate for Mayor of Tehuacán, Puebla, was attacked at his campaign headquarters. Lenin Pérez Hernández, PRD candidate for Mayor of Coapilla, Chiapas, reported an armed attack on his home, which he attributed to increasing electoral violence. Alfredo Eduardo Diaz Lopez, PVEM candidate for Mayor of Chalco, State of Mexico, also survived an attack on his vehicle.

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Mica

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