Mayor of Mexico assassinated days after taking office

The mayor of Chilpancingo, a city in southern Mexico, has been assassinated less than a week after taking office, marking another tragic incident in a series of attacks on politicians in the violence-wracked country. Authorities confirmed the death of Alejandro Arcos, prompting Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado to express her outrage on social media, although she provided no further details on the circumstances of his death.

Local media reported that Arcos had been beheaded, but this has not been officially confirmed. Arcos was elected in June as part of an opposition coalition that also included the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which condemned his killing as a “cowardly crime” and called for justice. The PRI declared on X: “Enough violence and impunity! The people of Guerrero do not deserve to live in fear.”

According to PRI President Alejandro Moreno, his killing took place just days after the murder of another city official, Francisco Tapia. “They had been in office for less than a week. Young and honest officials who sought progress for their community,” Moreno noted on X.

Guerrero, one of Mexico’s poorest states, has long suffered from violence linked to wars between drug cartels battling for control over drug production and trafficking. Last year the state recorded 1,890 murders, including Acapulco, a seaside resort once known for its glamor but now marred by crime.

Since the government deployed the military to combat drug trafficking in 2006, more than 450,000 people have been killed across Mexico and tens of thousands have been reported missing. Local politicians are often victims of violence linked to corruption and the lucrative drug trade.

Tackling rampant cartel violence – which makes murder and kidnapping a daily occurrence – poses a major challenge for Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first female president. Sheinbaum, the former mayor of Mexico City who took office on October 1, has pledged to continue her predecessor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s “hugs, not bullets” approach, which will focus on social policies to reduce crime in tackle roots. She is expected to unveil her safety plan on Tuesday.

Official figures indicate that at least 24 politicians have been murdered during the particularly violent election season ahead of the June elections, which were won in a landslide by a key ruling party figure.