MEXICO – Outgoing Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has offered condolences to the family of a slain mayoral candidate who was shot dead shortly after launching her campaign. The shooting was the latest in a string of violence against political hopefuls ahead of Mexico’s June 2 general elections.
“These events are very regrettable because these are people are fighting to defend democracy,” López Obrador said during his daily news conference. “They’re out on the street, face to face.”

López Obrador’s remarks came in response to the death of Bertha Gisela Gaytán, a candidate representing the left-wing party he founded, Morena. She was running to be mayor of Celaya, northwest of Mexico City.

Last Monday, the first day of her campaign, Gaytán rallied with supporters in the streets of San Miguel Octopan, a town just outside of Celaya. A short social media video from the shooting shows a cluster of people chanting and waving maroon flags in support of Morena, when suddenly gunshots ring out. Multiple people were struck, including the city council candidate Adrián Guerrero. Several media reports indicated he later died at a nearby hospital.
Observers say threats largely stem from organised crime and drug cartels that exercise sway over the Mexican political system through threats, bribery and corruption.

Police, however, have yet to identify suspects in the shooting and arrests have yet to be made. In the aftermath, the governor of Guanajuato, the state where the shooting occurred, pledged to seek justice for the killings.

Mexico is currently in the midst of another high-profile election, this time with the presidency hanging in the balance.
(Al Jazeera)…[+]