Fear is the hallmark of organized crime in the Veracruz elections. Morena had two mayoral candidates executed. The PRI failed to secure candidates in four municipalities due to threats from criminals; while the PAN, in two municipalities, is only campaigning on social media to prevent crime.
Added to this is the fact that at least 150 candidates have security provided by the state government, but with a detail that bothers opposition party leaders: expenses such as food, transportation, and lodging are covered by the campaign; in other words, “your security has a price.”
The way campaigns are run has also changed. The images from recent years of candidates being executed in broad daylight and during their rallies have transformed the way campaigning is done.
Large mass events are gone. Now they are small gatherings in neighborhoods, inside homes, with controlled access. Even a self-imposed curfew requiring campaigns to end at 8:00 p.m. to avoid exposing themselves.
The president of the PAN in Veracruz, Federico Salomón, says that since last November they’ve had trouble finding candidates, so the measures implemented by the blue and white National Electoral Council (CEN) helped them nominate citizens and thus secure candidates in all 212 municipalities.
Since then, his party has identified 17 red flags, which, as the days and the electoral process progressed, have increased throughout the state.
“We had many people who raised their hands to be candidates, but then they lowered their hands, arguing that they didn’t want their lives or that of their families to be threatened,” he says.
Therefore, he reveals, 90 percent of his candidates for mayors, council members, and councilors are made up of citizens who just a few months ago were dedicated to everything but politics.
“There is an unsafe climate that makes campaigning here in Veracruz truly difficult. Overall, across all parties, there have been more than 200 substitutions. We have 150 candidates who have requested security, and in our case, nine have requested it,” he explains.
Private meetings replace public rallies
His office has established a new way of campaigning to safeguard the safety of its candidates, members, and attendees.
Rallies and mass events have been eliminated. They have been replaced by neighborhood meetings in homes and places with controlled access. Campaign activities must end at 8:00 p.m., no matter what.
“It’s unfortunate that there’s no desire to acknowledge the problem, even the governor herself, who stated in an interview that we were loudmouths. That statement was very unfortunate because I think she’s not seeing the reality of what’s happening in Veracruz,” he affirms.
Of the nine municipalities where security is extremely tight for their candidates, Cosautlán, Oluta, and Alto Lucero are the only municipalities where their candidates are campaigning on social media.
Toño May, a candidate for mayor of Río Blanco, was a local businessman dedicated to his family until six months ago. He never imagined that, after receiving the call from the PAN to be its candidate, the next threat would be from organized crime, seeking to remove him from the electoral race.
“I’ve received several threats by phone. You know, it’s not clear from whom; they only use harsh words, telling me to back off, not to participate. But we remain here with firmness and courage, but also with fear,” he acknowledges.
May is one of the nine PAN candidates who has received protection from the state government, and although his leaders are bothered by the campaign paying for that security, he does so with pleasure and acknowledges the work they provide.
“They are two people who look after me night and day; they take care of the logistics of the events and take care of me and my family. Here, we gladly pay for their food and lodging; it’s a recognition of their work and dedication,” he affirms.
But he also follows the PAN’s instructions from Xalapa to hold controlled events and conclude their activities by 8:00 p.m.
In his 20 years of electoral experience, PRI President Adolfo Ramírez asserts, “there has never been such a climate of violence and organized crime under control” in Veracruz.
His party was unable to secure candidates in four municipalities due to threats of crime. He says that in one municipality, “they defeated eight candidates, and we declared that municipality deserted.”
He indicates that, in addition to the label “loud” they received from the state government, another proof of the neglect of security was the attack on their headquarters in Xalapa, where, in broad daylight, dozens of masked individuals burned vehicles, furniture, documents, and even beat a worker for 40 minutes, without any authority intervening.
“In the PRI, we’ve been affected by threats and intimidation. I think this is happening to all parties, and this shouldn’t happen again. It’s not something that should be minimized. On the contrary, it should be called attention. There has been bloodshed. And the response we’ve received from the government is epithets instead of actions to improve security,” he laments.
In his party, at least 10 candidates have accepted the state government’s security, although they disagree that they should bear the financial cost.
“When organized crime intervenes in an electoral process, it means they’re sponsoring candidates and want them to govern to dominate regional positions, and in the face of this, the government is doing absolutely nothing. It’s a situation that has already gotten out of control,” he affirms.
Even with fear, threats, and the state government’s abandonment, the electoral campaigns in Veracruz are entering their final stretch, in which the result will be marred by bullets and blood.
Source: milenio
