Two mayoral contenders, Noe Ramos Ferretiz and Alberto Garcia, were found dead on the same day, marking a worrying increase in Mexico’s electoral violence.

The tragic incident occurred on April 19, 2024, as the country draws nearer to its June elections. This year is expected to be the deadliest election period in Mexico’s history, with already 17 candidates becoming victims of violent acts.

Noe Ramos Ferretiz, seeking re-election as the mayor of Ciudad Mante in Tamaulipas, a northeastern state on the Gulf of Mexico, was fatally stabbed. A manhunt has been initiated by local authorities to catch the attacker.

Alberto Garcia, running for mayor of San Jose Independencia in the southeastern state of Oaxaca, was found dead a day after he was reported missing. His wife, the current mayor of San Jose Independencia, was reported missing but was subsequently found alive.

The deaths of these politicians add to the growing count of political violence that has been haunting Mexico’s political sphere. Such acts are commonly carried out by organized crime syndicates seeking to seize control over local government. The government has taken steps to ensure candidate safety, assigning bodyguards to approximately 250 candidates, particularly those in high-risk municipal roles.

Alejandro Moreno, the leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), has responded to the killings with a firm rejection of violence influencing the electoral results. The state electoral board in Oaxaca also denounced Garcia’s murder.

Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has pointed out that these criminal syndicates not only resort to violence to sway elections but also try to place candidates who will further their interests.

Earlier in the month, the mayoral campaign in Celaya, Guanajuato started with violence when candidate Bertha Gaytan was fatally shot on the campaign’s first day.

In April, the political violence in Michoacan continued. The mayor of Churumuco was assassinated at a taco restaurant in Morelia, the state’s capital.

In late February, a similar tragedy unfolded in Michoacan when two candidates running for mayoral positions in another town were killed within hours of each other.