More than 500 political candidates have been placed under federal protection as a way to ensure the safety of the upcoming elections, said Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. The assertions follow the murders of more than 30 candidates during the current electoral cycle.
During one of his morning news conferences, Lopez Obrador claimed steps had been taken to ensure the elections were safe and free from interference. He alleged that more than 500 candidates nationwide had been placed under police protection. However, contrary to the claims by the politicians, the current electoral cycle has seen hundreds of attacks against candidates and campaign workers in what some pundits call the bloodiest elections to date.
Mexico’s ruling party, Morena, is expecting its toughest challenge this summer when the country holds its presidential elections and hundreds of other local and state races. So far, the elections have been plagued with allegations of ties to drug cartels, illegal financing, and raging violence.
This week, the Chiapas Electoral Institute revealed that 515 candidates had dropped out of their respective races in their state. According to Mexico’s El Universal, the State of Chiapas has seen at least 16 murdered candidates in recent months.
State officials have been trying to downplay the issue by claiming that of the 515 candidates who dropped out, only 29 claimed to fear for their safety.
#InformaciónOficial | Compartimos con toda la ciudadanía los casos de renuncia registrados ante el #IEPC por personas candidatas a algún cargo local. pic.twitter.com/q84mVhJgkd
— IEPC Chiapas (@IEPCChiapas) May 21, 2024
As Breitbart Texas reported, statistics kept by the NGO Laboratorio Electoral point to a total of 70 candidates and campaign workers being killed during the electoral cycle that began in June 2023.
Hasta el momento, 70 personas vinculadas con el proceso electoral han sido asesinadas, de las cuales 33 eran aspirantes o candidatas. https://t.co/3ScpZYroTE pic.twitter.com/LJW2dgTiQn
— Laboratorio Electoral (@Eleccionesymas) May 17, 2024
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.