Bloodshed mars final day of campaigning for Mexico’s election
- Mayoral candidate assassinated as Mexico’s presidential hopefuls wrap up their campaigns
- Ruling-party candidate Claudia Sheinbaum on course to become Mexico’s first woman president
![Supporters of presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum rally in Mexico City. Photo: AP](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/30/7e44ad2d-ac15-4657-a90f-cdfa90474a90_7960a781.jpg?itok=a0kktn1w&v=1717040456)
A gunman shot dead an aspiring mayor at a rally Wednesday in southern Mexico, marking a bloody end to campaigning in a country expected to elect its first woman president this weekend.
More than 20 people running for local office have been murdered during what has been a particularly violent election season in the Latin American nation, according to an official count.
The latest victim was Alfredo Cabrera, a mayoral candidate for an opposition coalition who was gunned down in the southern state of Guerrero, causing chaos and panic among people attending the rally.
Barring a major upset, a woman appears almost certain to be elected leader of the world’s most populous Spanish-speaking country when millions of Mexicans vote on Sunday.
![Mexico presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum. Photo: AFP Mexico presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum. Photo: AFP](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/30/9e81fbd0-e9ae-4da0-9622-905ce39ffa53_cf13f12f.jpg)
“We’re going to make history,” ruling-party candidate Claudia Sheinbaum, who is leading in polls, told a cheering crowd at her closing campaign rally in Mexico City’s main square.
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