Two Mexican mayoral candidates killed hours apart in same town

By Abel Alvarado, CNN

Published 7:40 PM EST, Tue February 27, 2024

A municipal police officer stands guard in Maravatio, Michoacan state, Mexico, on February 27.

CNN —

Two candidates for mayor of the central Mexican town of Maravatio were killed just hours apart, according to the Prosecutor’s Office of Michoacan state.

Armando Pérez, of the conservative National Action Party (PAN), and Miguel Ángel Reyes, from the ruling left-leaning party, Morena, were both found dead in their personal vehicles having suffered gunshot wounds, the prosecutor said in two separate statements.

Pérez was found on Monday evening, while Reyes had been found a few hours earlier near the hospital where he worked as a doctor.

Both candidates were set to run in the elections on June 2.

During his daily press conference on Tuesday, Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the killings were “unfortunate.”

PAN and Morena both condemned the killings and demanded justice for the candidates.

Political violence usually surges around election season in Mexico, and this year is shaping up to be the most violent in Obrador’s six-year term, according to analysts consulted by CNN.

In January alone there were 36 events associated with political-electoral violence, according to data from Data Cívica, a civil association dedicated to data analysis. Eight candidates have been killed since last September when the current electoral process began, according to a report from Intergralia Consultants.

Criminal gangs are known to finance campaigns during election season, intimidating candidates and violently intervening to compel politicians to cooperate with them, the report wrote. It added that criminal organizations center their attacks at the municipal level because mayors can offer them impunity in the territory due to their links with law enforcement and the local economy.

Mexico’s Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez said in early February that the government is working to curb the violence leading up to the 2024 elections.

On June 2, more than 100 million Mexicans will be called to vote in general elections where 20,375 positions will be elected, of which 19,746 are local and 629 are federal, including the presidency.

Two Mexican mayoral candidates killed hours apart in same town

两名墨西哥市长候选人在同一城镇相隔数小时被杀

Two candidates for mayor of the central Mexican town of Maravatio were killed just hours apart, according to the Prosecutor’s Office of Michoacan state.

据Michoacan州检察官办公室称，墨西哥中部城镇Maravatio的两名市长候选人相隔数小时内被杀。

Armando Pérez, of the conservative National Action Party (PAN), and Miguel Ángel Reyes, from the ruling left-leaning party, Morena, were both found dead in their personal vehicles having suffered gunshot wounds, the prosecutor said in two separate statements.

检察官分别在两份声明中表示，PAN的Armando Pérez和Morena的MiguelÁngel Reyes都被发现死于自己的车内，均受了枪伤。

Pérez was found on Monday evening, while Reyes had been found a few hours earlier near the hospital where he worked as a doctor.

人们是周一晚上发现Pérez的，而Reyes是此前几小时在他担任医生的医院附近被发现。

Both candidates were set to run in the elections on June 2.

两位候选人都将参加6月2日的election。

During his daily press conference on Tuesday, Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the killings were “unfortunate.”

墨西哥总统Andrés Manuel López Obrador在周二的每日新闻发布会上表示，这些杀害是“不幸的”。

PAN and Morena both condemned the killings and demanded justice for the candidates.

PAN和Morena都谴责了这些杀害行为，并要求为这两名候选人伸张正义。

Political violence usually surges around election season in Mexico, and this year is shaping up to be the most violent in Obrador’s six-year term, according to analysts consulted by CNN.

据CNN咨询的分析人士称，墨西哥的political暴力通常在election季前后激增，今年是Obrador六年任期内最暴力的一年。

In January alone there were 36 events associated with political-electoral violence, according to data from Data Cívica, a civil association dedicated to data analysis. Eight candidates have been killed since last September when the current electoral process began, according to a report from Intergralia Consultants.

根据致力于数据分析的民间协会data Cívica的数据，仅在1月份，就有36起与political-electoral暴力有关的事件。根据Intergralia Consultants的一份报告，自去年9月当前election开始以来，已有8名候选人被杀。

Criminal gangs are known to finance campaigns during election season, intimidating candidates and violently intervening to compel politicians to cooperate with them, the report wrote. It added that criminal organizations center their attacks at the municipal level because mayors can offer them impunity in the territory due to their links with law enforcement and the local economy.

该报道称，众所周知，犯罪团伙在election季资助竞选活动，恐吓候选人，进行暴力干预，迫使politicians与他们合作。报道还称，犯罪组织将袭击集中在市这一级，因为市长们与执法部门和当地经济有联系，可以让他们在该地区逍遥法外。

Mexico’s Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez said in early February that the government is working to curb the violence leading up to the 2024 elections.

墨西哥安全部长Rosa Icela Rodríguez在2月初表示，government正在努力遏制2024年election前的暴力行为。

On June 2, more than 100 million Mexicans will be called to vote in general elections where 20,375 positions will be elected, of which 19,746 are local and 629 are federal, including the presidency.

6月2日，将有超过1亿墨西哥人在election中投票，届时将选出20375个职位，其中19746个是地方职位，629个是联邦职位，包括总统职位。