Next month on the 1st, a nationwide local election will be held in Mexico, but what should be a 'festival of democracy' is marred by fear.
In Mexico, the nightmare of prominent candidates being shot down in the streets has been repeating for decades every election season.
This year is more serious than ever. ABC News reported that on the 1st (local time), a candidate running for mayor of San Juan Evangelista in Veracruz, on the Gulf of Mexico, was shot dead at home on the 30th of last month, the start date of the election campaign.
According to research conducted by the Mexican security consulting firm Integralia Consultants and the National University of Mexico, at least 37 candidates have been assassinated since the presidential election in June of last year until last month.
This is expected to surpass the 32 killings during the 2021 local elections, marking it as the most violent election in modern Mexican history.
The Mexican federal government recently stated that it is providing security to 560 candidates in dangerous areas before the local elections. The number of military and police forces mobilized to maintain public order ahead of the elections has reached 27,000.
However, violence aimed at candidates continues unabated. Mexican media outlet El Universal reported, "The political violence that has repeated for decades shows no signs of resolution, raising concerns."
Behind the assassinations of candidates are the criminal cartels that have effectively taken over the region. Cartels that were once focused on drug trafficking are now expanding their territories.
They aim to solidify their local control by utilizing local elections. This is a strategy to turn local government budgets and administrative power into cartel money. In this process, they either elect candidates who cooperate with them or eliminate those who hinder their interests.
The Washington Post (WP) analyzed that "cartels seek to dominate local power not only in drug trafficking but also in the movement of illegal immigrants, employment, and even public projects contracts and capital exploitation."
They are difficult to eradicate completely due to their complex organizational structure, the operation of their networks, and collusion with some local residents. Since the cartels have taken deep root in the communities since Mexico's independence in the 19th century, large-scale operations conducted by military and police forces yield only temporary effects.
Political scientist Manuel Pérez Aguirre, who conducted the research, stated in an interview with The New York Times (NYT), "The local criminal organizations warn opposing candidates to diminish their presence to exercise deep-rooted influence," and he noted that "the political form in Mexico is a democracy 'watched and threatened' by cartels."
Such political violence and assassinations mainly occur in coastal areas where the central government's control is weak and criminal cartels roam freely.
Notable examples include Chiapas in southernmost Mexico, the impoverished region of Guerrero in the southwest, and Michoacán, where young cartels are clashing. In Maravatio, Michoacán, two mayoral candidates were shot and killed within 7 hours on February.
Michoacán is the world's largest avocado producer. Recently, bloodshed violence has frequently erupted over the control of avocado distribution, referred to as "green gold."
The absence of public security and fear of violence are shaking the very foundations of democracy. Over 500 residents in the Pantelo region of Chiapas declared their refusal to vote in the local election due to concerns for their safety. In 11 areas within Mexico, the establishment of polling stations has been canceled due to safety issues.
Arturo Espinosa Silis, director of the National Electoral Institute (INE) of Mexico, stated in an interview with the Spanish media El País that "the collusion between cartels and politics is a serious threat shaking the roots of Mexican democracy," adding that "the impotence of local governments and rampant corruption are breeding grounds for political violence."