A candidate for federal deputy launched his campaign in a bizarre fashion in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, on Tuesday: he emerged from a coffin after a staged funeral procession and proceeded to blast politicians for their indifference amid crime and the coronavirus crisis.
Carlos Mayorga, a candidate for the Solidary Encounter Party (PES) in the June 6 elections, arrived at an international bridge between the northern border city and El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday morning inside a coffin transported by a hearse.
Video footage shows men kitted out in full personal protective equipment (PPE) removing the gold-colored coffin from the hearse and placing in on a table.
Apparently speaking from inside the casket as it is being removed, Mayorga says: “Representing a dead city, we need a real awakening.”
Assisted by one of the PPE-clad “undertakers,” the candidate, a former television presenter, rises from the “dead” and, without even a hint of a smile in acknowledgement of the absurdity of the situation, begins a prepared speech.
Los candidatos ahora hacen campaña hasta en carroza fúnebre y dentro de un féretro. Es Carlos Mayorga, suspirante de una diputación federal por el PES en Ciudad Juárez. pic.twitter.com/gaSgAIyOvj
— Vicente Gálvez (@Vicente_Galvez) April 6, 2021
“I’m Carlos Mayorga, and I’m one of the 1.5 million residents of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, who has died due to the indifference of politicians,” the PES candidate said, asserting that state and federal lawmakers quickly forget those who elected them when they arrive in the halls of power.
“… From this coffin I honor those who have died because of government negligence, those who suffered because of politicians who don’t care about people’s lives and [let] organized crime do what it wants. From this metallic box I sympathize with those who have lost a loved one,” Mayorga said.
“… We decided to begin this political campaign inside a coffin to send a message to the politicians who have killed people because of their indifference. [The politicians] have remained silent about the high levels of organized crime, they’ve remained silent about the chaotic Covid situation,” he said.
Mayorga added that if he is elected and doesn’t fulfill his campaign promises he should be buried alive.
“But from here I tell you, I am going to legislate at the command of God and at the command of my city,” he said.
Ciudad Juárez has been plagued by high levels of violence for years. Between 2008 and 2012, it was widely considered the most dangerous city on earth. The border city has also been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, recording almost 30,000 confirmed cases and more than 2,800 deaths.
Footage of Mayorga’s mock funeral went viral on social media — as was undoubtedly the aim — where criticism of the candidate easily outweighed praise.
“This is how Carlos Mayorga of the PES [an ally of the ruling Morena party] begins his campaign: mocking the deaths of more than 200,000 Mexicans due to the pandemic,” one Twitter user posted to his more than 70,000 followers.
Source: Infobae (sp)
