The mayor of Chilpancingo, a city in southern Mexico, has been murdered less than a week after taking office, marking another tragic incident in a series of attacks on politicians in the violence-ridden country. Authorities confirmed the death of Alejandro Arcos, prompting Guerrero State Governor Evelyn Salgado to express her outrage on social media, though she did not provide further details about the circumstances of his death.
Local media reported that Arcos had been decapitated, but this has not been officially confirmed. Arcos was elected in June as part of an opposition coalition that included the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which condemned his killing as a “cowardly crime” and called for justice. The PRI stated on X, “Enough of violence and impunity! The people of Guerrero do not deserve to live in fear.”
His murder occurred just days after the killing of another city official, Francisco Tapia, according to PRI President Alejandro Moreno. “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 tied to turf wars among drug cartels vying for control of drug production and trafficking. In the previous year, the state recorded 1,890 murders, and it includes Acapulco, a beach resort once known for its glamour, 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, with tens of thousands reported missing. Local politicians are often victims of the violence connected to corruption and the lucrative drug trade.
Addressing the rampant cartel violence—which has made murder and kidnapping daily occurrences—poses a significant challenge for Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first female president. Sheinbaum, the former mayor of Mexico City who took office on October 1, has vowed to continue her predecessor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s “hugs not bullets” approach, focusing on social policy to address crime at its roots. She is expected to unveil her security plan on Tuesday.
Official figures indicate that at least 24 politicians were murdered during the particularly violent electoral season leading up to the June elections, which were won by a key ruling party figure in a landslide.
