More than 270 political candidates in Mexico have requested government protection ahead of June’s general election, underscoring a spiral of political violence that is tarnishing Mexican democracy.
At least 15 federal-level candidates have been assassinated this campaign season and 28 candidates have been attacked, according to Mexico News Daily, though the number is just a fraction of the attacks seen among the 70,000 total candidates running for local and state elections. Independent think tanks have reported more than 800 political attacks in the last five years.
Analysts say federal policy has long ignored tackling the foundational issues that pull youth into organized crime, and the issue has become one of the major talking points for presidential candidates.
