Mexican mayor assassinated hours after first woman was elected president

Gunmen have killed the female mayor of a city in Mexico just hours after the country celebrated its elections Claudia Sheinbaum as the country’s first female president.

Yolanda Sánchez was shot in the city of Cotija, which she controlled since September 2021.

She was the first woman elected to this post.

Widespread violence against politicians has overshadowed elections in Mexico, which saw two women running for president.

Yolanda Sánchez was ambushed by gunmen on Monday in downtown Cotija, Michoacán.

Local media say she was shot 19 times and died in hospital shortly after the attack. Her bodyguard was also killed in the gunfight.

No arrests have been made in connection with the attack so far, but it is widely believed that the gunmen belonged to an organized crime group.

Ms Sánchez had reported receiving death threats after taking office in September 2021.

She was held for three days by armed men who held her at gunpoint during a visit to neighboring state Jalisco in 2023. The politician said her captors made “demands” and inflicted “psychological terror” before releasing her.

Although she said she did not know which criminal group they belonged to, local newspapers said the most likely perpetrators were the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

The CJNG is involved in drug trafficking, kidnapping for ransom and extortion.

It is also infamous for targeting officials who refuse to comply with its wishes.

Ms. Sánchez had said that the men who threatened her after she came to power had demanded that she hand over the city’s security to state police officers on behalf of organized crime groups.

She refused and asked the army to fortify the city. The mayor was also provided with armed bodyguards after the incident.

Her killing on Monday came less than a day after a general election that was overshadowed by the killings of local candidates.

Official figures show that more than 20 people running for office have been murdered since September, but independent studies put the number closer to 40.

The presidential race was won by Claudia Sheinbaum, who will be sworn in on October 1 as the first woman to hold Mexico’s highest office.

Ms. Sheinbaum’s defeated rival, Xóchitl Gálvez, has been critical of the violence that marred the campaign.

Ms. Gálvez said that when she called Ms. Sheinbaum on Monday, she told her: “I have seen a Mexico with a lot of pain and violence. I wish she could solve the serious problems of our people.”

While Ms. Gálvez conceded defeat after Ms. Sheinbaum’s unassailable lead in the polls was announced, she has since described the presidential campaign as an “uneven competition against the entire state apparatus dedicated to favoring its candidate.”

She also said she would challenge Ms. Sheinbaum’s victory without indicating how she would do so.

With more than 95% of the votes in the preliminary count, Ms. Sheinbaum had a lead of more than 31 percentage points over Ms. Gálvez.