Only 24 hours after Claudia Sheinbaum became the first female president of the Latin American country, the regional administration reported the assassination of the mayor of a town in western Mexico on Monday. The attack also claimed the mayor’s security.
Michoacan’s state government condemned “the murder of the municipal president (mayor) of Cotija, Yolanda Sanchez Figueroa,” according to a social media statement by the regional interior ministry.
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The assassination of the female mayor comes after Sheinbaum’s landslide election sparked optimism for change in a country riven by rampant gender-based violence.
Sanchez, who was elected mayor in the 2021 elections, was gunned down on a public road, according to local media, with one source stating she was shot 19 times outside a gym.
The Michoacan attorney general’s office reported that Sanchez’s bodyguard, Jesús V., was killed by gunshots. The office reported that gunmen in a white truck ambushed them, fired from the moving vehicle, and then fled.
Her Facebook page states that she is “defined by my preparation and the desire to make Cotija a better place to live.”
Authorities have not disclosed any details about the murder, but they have announced the start of a security operation to capture the perpetrators.
In September of last year, a shopping center in Guadalajara, Jalisco, a neighboring state of Michoacan, kidnapped the lawmaker.
The federal government announced her recovery three days later.
According to local media accounts at the time, the kidnappers were from the notorious Jalisco Cartel—New Generation (CJNG), and they allegedly threatened the mayor for resisting the criminal group’s takeover of her municipality’s police force.
Michoacan is well-known for its tourism attractions and strong agro-export economy, but it is also one of the most violent states in the country because of the presence of extortion and drug trafficking. In March, three farmers were killed by a bomb that appeared to have been hidden in a dirt road in Michoacan, just days after Mexico’s outgoing president admitted that an improvised explosive device killed at least four troops in what he called a “trap” set by the cartel.
Election marked by bloodshed
During the election campaign, a total of 23 political candidates lost their lives, with one of them being Alfredo Cabrera. Shockingly, Cabrera’s murder was caught on camera. In addition, another mayoral candidate was killed in the state of Morelos just a day before Cabrera’s death.
Two attacks on mayoral candidates in the southern state of Chiapas killed nine people the week before. Both candidates survived.
Following a campaign event in the municipality of La Concordia, which borders Villa Corzo, an ambush killed six people last month.
Last month, during the initial phase of her campaign, a mayoral candidate was tragically killed by a gunshot.
On the day of the election, approximately 27,000 soldiers and National Guard members were dispatched to enhance security measures.
