Two more candidates killed in Mexico in run-up to July 1 elections

Fernando Angeles Juarez, shot dead leaving his hotel Posada del Bosque in the state of Michoacan on Thursday morning, is the 121st candidate to be killed.

Two mayoral candidates in Mexico have been killed in less than 24 hours, bringing to at least 18 the number of candidates slain so far in campaigns leading up to the July 1 elections.

An independent mayoral candidate was gunned down in the conflict-ridden rural town of Aguililla in the western state of Michoacan on Wednesday. Michoacan Gov. Silvano Aureoles vowed to catch those responsible for killing candidate Omar Gomez Lucatero.

Aguililla is an extensive but sparsely populated mountain township where drug gangs and vigilantes have been active.

Fernando Angeles Juarez, the mayoral candidate for the leftist Democratic Revolution Party, was killed early Thursday in Ocampo, also in Michoacan.

The party said issued a statement saying that he was assassinated, and it called on the government to provide protection for people running for office.

Gomez was running as an independent candidate after he left the PRI. He became the mayor of Aguililla shortly afterward in 2014 when Jose Cruz Valencia was arrested and had to leave office

Angeles and Gomez are the latest victims of attacks against local politicians running for office in the upcoming elections. Similar attacks recently killed Alejandro Chavez Zavala, who was running for mayor of Taretan, and Miguel Amezcua Manzo, aspiring town councilor of Santiago Tangamandapio, both in Michoacan state.

Omar Gomez Lucatero was the 120th politician murdered in Mexico since September 2017. Photo | EFE

Chavez and his wife, Mary Dimas, were shot by an unknown assailant driving a black Ford Lobo while leaving the city following a campaign event. Alejandro's brother, Julio Chavez Zavala, took his place in the presidential race.

According to consulting firm Etellekt, there have been 121 murders and 400 attacks against politicians since September 2017. Out of the murdered, 29 were precandidates and 16 candidates, and 80 of them belonged to opposition parties. The rest were mayors, former mayors, militants, social leaders, councilors or representatives.

The same firm also recorded 351 murders against non-elected government officers.

Comments

Tomato fight! Valencia celebrates annual festival

سوات میں جلسہ ضرور ہوگا-پشتون تحفظ تحریک

— وائس آف امریکہ پشتون تحفظ تحریک اتوار کو سوات میں جلسہ منعقد کرنے جا رہی ہے لیکن تحریک سے وابستہ رہنماؤں کا کہنا ہے کہ انھیں یہاں بھی ایسی ہی مشکل صورتحال کا سامنا ہے جیسا کہ اس سے قبل ملک کے دیگر علاقوں میں تحریک کے جلسوں کے دوران رہا۔ لیکن پی ٹی ایم کے ایک مرکزی رہنما محسن داوڑ نے ہفتہ کو وائس آف امریکہ کو بتایا کہ ان تمام مشکلات کے باوجود اتوار کے جلسے کے لیے وہ پرعزم ہیں اور اس کی تیاریاں تکمیل کے مراحل میں ہیں اور ان کے بقول اس میں لوگوں کی ایک بڑی تعداد کی شرکت متوقع ہے۔ ان کا کہنا تھا کہ سوات بھی ایک ایسا علاقہ ہے جہاں کے لوگ تکلیف سے گزر چکے ہیں اور یہاں سے متعدد بے گناہ لوگ جبری لاپتا ہیں۔ محسن داوڑ نے دعویٰ کیا کہ انتظامیہ نے انھیں جس گراؤنڈ میں جلسے کی اجازت نہیں دی تھی وہیں ہفتہ کو دوسرے لوگ جلسہ کر رہے ہیں جب کہ مبینہ طور پر ایک روز قبل علاقے میں ایسے پمفلٹ بھی تقسیم کیے گئے جن میں لوگوں کو پی ٹی ایم کے جلسے سے گمراہ کرنے کی کوشش کی گئی۔ "انتظامیہ کی طرف سے ظاہر سی بات ہے جس طرح ہم نے پہلے جلسے کیے ہیں اسی طرح یہاں بھی کافی مشکلات کھڑی کرنے کی ...

Putin pushes for patriotism among young people

Kids of the "Youth Army" Russia’s "Youth Army" movement has grown to almost 200,000 members in less than two years, as President Vladimir Putin and his government try to foster patriotism among young people. Known as "Yunarmia" in Russian, the movement offers military training and new experiences to children as young as eight years old. They wear uniforms and pledge allegiance to the "Fatherland", and promise to "strive for victories in studies and sport" as well as honoring the memory of fallen heroes. “We are part of the wider armed forces. We are civilians, but we are standing together with everyone else to protect the country,” said 16-year-old member Darya. And one of the key components of the oath is the vow to be a patriot. “Patriotism is about noticing the faults that exist in your motherland, to fix them and make things better - for your town, for your country and your region,” said 13-year-old member Yaros...

Diplomatic Cross

Search This Blog