Just hours after Mexico elected its first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum, the mayor of Cotija, in the state of Michoacán, Yolanda Sánchez Figueroa, was shot dead, according to authorities.
Figueroa was walking home from a gym with his bodyguard when people in a white van shot at them, the state attorney general said in a statement. cnn.
Both Sánchez Figueroa and his bodyguard later died in hospital, he said, adding that an investigation has been launched.
Hours after Sheinbaum won a landslide victory to become Mexico's first female president, confirmation of Figueroa's death came.
Sheibaum's victory marked an achievement in a country known for its patriarchal culture and widespread femicide.
In particular, the recent elections were the bloodiest in Mexican history and widespread violence against politicians loomed large during the elections.
During the campaign, dozens of candidates and political aspirants were murdered by criminal organizations in an attempt to influence the vote.
Replacing the outgoing president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Sheinbaum will begin his presidency as of October 1.
Andrés was his old ally whose social welfare programs helped many Mexicans escape poverty. This also made his leftist Morena party the favorite in the polls.
However, it inherits an epidemic of gang-led violence and unsolved disappearances in Mexico, in addition to facing an urgent task to strengthen national and border security.
The homicide rate in Mexico is among the highest in the world. Furthermore, it remains a dangerous place for women: figures reveal that around ten women are murdered every day.
In addition, more than 100,000 people remain missing in the country, with no explanation as to their fate. In 2022, about 95% of all crimes nationwide remained unsolved in the county, according to the think tank México Evalua.
