Violence mars Mexico vote as country prepares to elect first woman president
- Mexico voted in historic elections marred by cartel violence and deep divisions
- With two women leading the contest, Mexico is likely to elect its first female president
Two people were killed in violence at polling centres on Sunday in the midst of Mexico’s historic election expected to make leftist Claudia Sheinbaum, the ruling party candidate, the country’s first woman president.
Voting was suspended at one polling place after a person was killed in a shooting in Coyomeapan, a town in the state of Puebla, the state electoral authority reported in the afternoon. The state attorney general confirmed another death at a polling centre in Tlapanala, also in Puebla.
Mexico’s largest-ever elections have also been the most violent in modern history, with the murders of 38 candidates, including a local candidate who was fatally shot on Saturday night. The deadly violence has stoked concerns about the threat of warring drug cartels to democracy.
Sheinbaum, who has led in opinion polls over her main competitor Xochitl Galvez, will be tasked with confronting organised crime violence, if elected. More people were killed during the mandate of outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador than during any other administration in Mexico’s modern history.
A victory by either woman would represent a major step for Mexico, a country known for its macho culture. The winner, set to begin a six-year term on October 1.