Mexico: 8 Candidates Murdered Before Election

With less than a week to go before regional elections in the country, political violence and gang activity are making the prospects of a peaceful and democratic process very unlikely. Eight candidates have been murdered since campaigning began in early March. Many candidates have resigned from the campaign for fear of falling victims to organized crime, and there has been much speculation that the process will be marred by abstention and further violence. At the same time, Mexican teachers have joined the call for a boycott of next Sunday’s elections, setting fires and burning electoral institutions and materials. Slogans such as “electoral boycott” and “general strike” appear on the walls of some buildings, after demonstrators in Mexico City last week set fire to electoral propaganda to show their contempt for all the political parties participating in the elections. teleSUR