Thursday, January 8, 2026

Substitutes for murdered candidates win election in two states

In the midst of record-setting election violence, substitutes for two murdered candidates have won election in Quintana Roo and Guanajuato.

Blanca Merari Tziu won the election for mayor of Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, after the murder on February 24 of her husband Ignacio Sánchez, the original mayoral candidate.

Karla Odeth Vivas, the sister of Merari’s main electoral opponent, is in custody for the murder. Merari herself, a Green Party-Morena candidate, was the target of two attacks during the election.

In Moroleón, Guanajuato, Citizens’ Movement party candidate Alma Sánchez claimed victory in the mayoral race after the initial candidate, her mother, Alma Barragán, was killed during a public meeting on May 25.

Sánchez said that she will move forward with the same team and plans that her mother established in her campaign.

“It’s beautiful and sad, because at the end of the day she isn’t here. I’m here for her,” Sánchez said.

With reports from Reforma (sp)

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
cell phone user

Starting Friday, cell users in Mexico must link their phones to an official ID

0
Cell users have until June 30 to carry out the registration with their cell phone companies or risk having their service cut off.
Forensic technicians in white cover-alls stand in front of a stretcher and a white van showing the word "Forense"

Mexico’s homicide rate dropped 30% in 2025, preliminary data shows

0
New data shows that homicides fell in 26 of the country's 32 states, with just six states seeing an increase in killings.
Downtown Mexico City

Citi survey: Banks predict 1.3% GDP growth, peso weakening to 19:1 in 2026

0
Growth forecasts for 2026 from 35 banks surveyed by Citi range from 0.6% to 1.8%, though estimates for 2027 range from 1% to 2.8% — a vote of confidence in Mexico's economy post-USMCA review.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity