Another Mayoral candidate shot dead in Mexico ahead of June 6 elections

Another mayoral candidate has been shot dead in Mexico, taking the total number of candidates nationwide to 34 ahead of the June 6 legislative elections that will fill thousands of local offices and nearly half of the country's governors. Alma Barragan was shot dead on Tuesday as he campaigned for the mayoralty of the city of Moroleon in the violence-stricken state of Guanajuato in central Mexico. Two other people were apparently injured.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday that the assassination was "without a doubt" the work of organized criminal gangs that killed candidates to scare voters off the ballot box.

"If there is a lot of abstinence, the mafia will dominate the election," Lopez Obrador said during his daily news conference.

Experts believe drug gangs want to place sympathetic candidates in city halls and city governments so that they can act without police interference and extort money from local businesses and government budgets. They also say that violence during elections is not new.

"There has always been violence and election cycles, especially at the mayoral level where you really see things heating up, but this time it feels like a lot more than usual," said Gladys McCormick, a history professor at Syracuse University and an expert on the area of ​​safety.

"This is proof of the impact of organized crime in that these local elections are trying to influence the institutions," McCormick told media.

Tony Payan, director of the Center for the United States and Mexico at the Baker Institute, stated the June 6 election is particularly crucial for organized criminals because it would elect hundreds of mayoral posts across the country.

"This election is seen by organized crime as a way to consolidate their profits and then promote their control over areas, cities, towns and neighbourhoods," Payan told media.

"Organized crime is fully involved in this election," Payan said

The Etellekt consulting firm said the vast majority of the 34 murdered candidates competed for nominations or chose to choose local posts. The group says a total of 88 politicians have been killed since the start of the election season last year.