13 Politicians Killed in 7 Months Ahead of Mexico’s Elections: Gisela Gaytán, a Candidate for Mayor, Becomes the Latest Victim

In a tragic turn of events, Gisela Gaytán, a 37-year-old candidate running for mayor in Celaya, Guanajuato, was murdered on the first day of her campaign. The victim was a member of the ruling National Regeneration Movement (Morena) and became the latest in a series of attacks targeting candidates participating in the federal elections set to take place on June 2nd in Mexico.

Over the past seven months, at least 13 politicians have been killed across the country. These victims include candidates, pre-candidates, and aspiring local government officials. The organization Electoral Laboratory has been keeping track of electoral violence annually and reported that there were 51 murders related to the upcoming elections on June 2nd. This is an increase from the 43 homicides recorded during the previous presidential elections in 2018. Of these 51 victims, 27 were candidates while the rest were their family members, politicians or public officials. Additionally, there were a total of 156 attacks including kidnappings, threats and other violent incidents.

The months of July, October, January, February and March have seen the highest number of murders. The ruling Morena party and opposition National Action Party (PAN) have had the highest number of murdered candidates. The states with the most cases of electoral violence are Guerrero, Veracruz and Michoacán.

As election day approaches concerns about escalating violence continue to grow. The federal government under President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has acknowledged that so far at least 15 candidates have been killed and has received over 100 requests for protection. Investigations are also looking into allegations of neglect from authorities to provide adequate security for candidates.

The murder of Gisela Gaytán highlights