MEXICO  – A candidate running for local office in Mexico’s central Puebla state has been killed at a political rally two days before the elections, adding to the toll of murdered contenders in what is seen as the country’s most violent polls on record.

Jorge Huerta Cabrera was shot dead on Friday in the city of Izucar de Matamoros where he was a candidate, according to the state prosecutor’s office. The candidate’s wife and one of his colleagues were also wounded in the attack which was captured on video. The footage showed mayhem erupting at the rally after the shots were fired.

The killing takes the number of assassinated candidates in the 2024 election season to 37, one more than during the 2021 midterm election when 36 candidates were killed, according to data from security consultancy Integralia. However, the federal government reported 22 candidates killed as of Tuesday. Since then, three more deaths have been recorded, AFP news agency reported.

Integralia has also counted 828 non-lethal attacks on candidates during the current election season, up from 749 since just Monday. Campaigning for Sunday’s elections, in which a new president, federal legislators, state governors and thousands of local officials are to be elected, has been marked by a wave of attacks against candidates that spiked in the last week.

On Wednesday, the campaign period closed for the vote, in which about 100 million Mexicans, of a population of 129 million, are eligible to cast ballots. Violence linked to organized crime in Mexico has long killed politicians from various parties, especially those who hold or are seeking regional positions. Drug cartels have often carried out such assassination attempts in an attempt to control local police or extort money from municipal governments. (Al Jazeera)…[+]