The Institute of Elections and Citizen Participation (IEPC) of the Mexican state of Chiapas decided not to hold the elections in the municipalities of Pantelhó and Chicomuselo due to acts of violence and the lack of security. The Friday decision came shortly before the federal elections in Mexico scheduled for Sunday, in which the presidency, governorships, mayoralties, and federal and state congressional seats will be elected.

The IEPC’s determination was based on the agreements issued by District Councils 02 and 08 of the National Electoral Institute (INE) in Chiapas, in which they approved suspending all polling stations in Pantelhó and Chicomuselo due to the acts of violence recorded in those districts. The provisional president counselor, María Magdalena Vila Domínguez, deeply lamented that “a few’s ambitions have prevailed over citizens’ right to exercise their vote freely and peacefully.” Representatives of political parties also joined the call.

The INE has said that at least 222 polling stations will remain closed during Mexico’s June 2nd elections due to security issues or social unrest. This situation will impact an estimated 120,000 voters, who will have to leave their communities to exercise their right to vote. Most of these affected polling places, 108, are located in Chiapas.

In recent days, violence surrounding the elections has been reported in Chiapas. Yesterday, the candidate of the Party of the Democratic Revolution for the Mayor’s Office of Ixhuatán, Pablo Fabián López López, denounced through a video that he was attacked with gunfire by Morena supporters along with collaborators.

According to a report by the organization Electoral Laboratory, the 2023-2024 electoral process is already the most violent in the country’s recent history. Electoral Laboratory found that from June 4, 2023, to May 23, 2024, in addition to the 34 assassinations of candidates, there were 65 cases of assault, 108 cases of threats, and 17 kidnappings.