Sheinbaum will begin her presidency on October 1, replacing the outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, her longtime ally whose social welfare programs lifted many Mexicans out of poverty, making their leftist Morena party favorite in the polls.
But she inherits an epidemic of gang-led violence and unsolved disappearances in the country and faces an urgent task to bolster domestic and border security.
Mexico’s homicide rate is among the highest in the world and it remains a dangerous place for women, with figures showing around 10 women are murdered every day. More than 100,000 people remain missing in the country, with no explanation of their fate. According to the think tank Mexico Evalua, around 95% of all crimes nationwide went unsolved in the country in 2022.
Sánchez Figueroa had previously been kidnapped in September 2023 in the city of Zapopan, and was released three days later. Three men were arrested and charged with her kidnapping.
Local authorities, including the government of Michoacán, condemned the deadly attack on the mayor and her bodyguard.
“A security operation coordinated with federal agencies has been deployed to find those responsible for the incident,” the state’s Ministry of Public Security said.
Source: Omar Fajardo
D-Ample Newspaper 