(RepublicanJournal.org) – Mexico is well known for its governmental corruption. High-ranking officials, for years, have kowtowed to the cartel leaders that have run rampant, perpetuating violence and terror in communities. The 2024 election cycle has been riddled with violence as dozens of candidates have met untimely ends. Recently, a mayoral candidate was shot execution-style while out campaigning.
Alfredo Cabrera, an opposition coalition member who was campaigning for mayor in Guerrero, was gunned down right in the middle of a campaign on Wednesday, May 29. He was smiling and shaking hands with supporters in a group of hundreds when video cameras caught a gunman. Cabrera was shot several times and died at the scene. Three others were injured in the shooting.
According to CBS News, the state prosecutor’s office released a statement saying “the alleged assailant was killed at the scene.” Authorities reportedly detained two others as well. Xochitl Galvez, a presidential candidate in the same party as Cabrera, said, “He was a generous and good man.”
Cabrera’s death, unfortunately, is not a rarity. Media reports indicate that between 20 to 40 have died just during this election cycle alone. Several candidates and supporters have been killed.
On Saturday, May 18, nine people in the Chiapas state were killed when assailants targeted two candidates, who survived the attack. Nicolás Noriega, who is running for the municipal government, was injured and lost five staffers. The week prior, Lucero Lopez, a mayoral candidate, was killed in La Concordia.
The increased violence in Mexico is something that the incoming president, Claudia Sheinbaum, will need to address. Drug trafficking is a huge problem in the country. Since 2006, nearly half a million people have died due to the violence, and there are still tens of thousands missing. Sheinbaum has said she plans to continue current President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s approach to the rising levels of crime by going straight to the roots.
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