Mexican candidate Marilú Martínez Núñez and her family kidnapped in Guerrero State

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – An armed group kidnapped Marilú Martínez Núñez, Mexican candidate of the opposition Citizens’ Movement (MC) for the municipal presidency of Cutzamala de Pinzón, in the southern state of Guerrero, along with her family, the party reported Wednesday.

“They were kidnapped by an armed group. We demand an immediate reaction from the authorities and Governor Héctor Astudillo to locate them alive,” denounced Clemente Castañeda, national coordinator of the liberal MC, in the early hours of the morning.

Although neither the party leadership nor the authorities have detailed the time and place of the event, Martínez Núñez posted on her social networks for the last time on Tuesday afternoon.

“First of all, God my Cutzamala this June 6, we will be victorious, of course, we will!” she wrote on her Facebook.

The crime occurs while Mexico accumulates more than 780 aggressions or crimes against politicians, with a balance of 89 politicians murdered, 35 of them while candidates, according to the consulting firm Etellekt.

In the midst of a climate of violence, Mexico will have, on June 6, its largest election in history, when 93.5 million are called to renew the Chamber of Deputies, 15 of 32 governors, 30 local congresses, and 1,900 city councils.

MC candidates have been high-profile victims: Alma Rosa Barragan, aspiring to the municipal presidency of Moroleon in central Guanajuato; and Abel Murrieta, who sought to be mayor of Cajeme northern Sonora, where he was prosecutor and lawyer for victims of a Mormon massacre.

“This electoral period is the most violent in history. It cannot be possible that participating in politics means risking your life,” the party tweeted Tuesday.

Martínez Núñez, who defines herself as an “enthusiastic young woman,” had closed her campaign on May 30 with an event in an area known as La Curva de Cutzamala. The municipality belongs to an area known as Tierra Caliente, which has become an area with a presence of organized crime and drug trafficking in the last decade.

“We demand that the Guerrero authorities do their part, Marilú Martínez and her family must appear now. In the face of these deplorable events, there can be no room for indifference. Do your part. We demand safe elections,” demanded Jessica Ortega, national coordinator of MC Women.