New Delhi: Days after taking office, Alejandro Arcos, the mayor of Mexico’s Chilpancingo city, was murdered, the latest in a series of violent attacks targeting politicians in the country. The mayor of the capital of Mexico’s violence-plagued state of Guerrero, who assumed office on October 1, was assassinated on Sunday as per media reports.
A city in southwestern Mexico, Chilpancingo houses around 2,80,000 people. “His loss mourns the entire Guerrero society and fills us with indignation,” Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado said in a statement shared on social media.
Media reports suggested that Guerrero’s state attorney general’s office was investigating his killing. Arcos’ killing comes just three days after the new city government’s secretary, Francisco Tapia, was shot to death.
In a post on social media, Senator Alejandro Moreno wrote, “They were young and honest officials who sought progress for their community.”
The chief of Mexico’s PRI political party, Moreno called on the federal attorney general’s office to lead the probe into Arcos and Tapia’s killings, given “the situation of ungovernability in Guerrero.” In the recent times, Guerrero has become one of the deadliest states for aspiring and elected public officials.
Describing the incident “unfortunate”, Mexico’s newly elected President Claudia Sheinbaum said that her security cabinet would on Tuesday explain “with more details” the actions being taken to address the nation’s security problems.
Media reports further suggested that at least six candidates for public office were murdered in the state in the run-up to Mexico’s June 2 elections. The recent killing has renewed concerns over security in Mexico that recently concluded its biggest and most violent general election in history.
