They assassinate a candidate for a mayoralty in the state of Veracruz, in Mexico, two days before the elections

A candidate for mayor in the state of Veracruz, in eastern Mexico, was shot to death on Friday night, two days before the elections, his political party reported.. “We strongly condemn the cowardly murder of René Tovar, candidate for mayor of Cazones de Herrera, Veracruz,” Clemente Castañeda, national coordinator of the Movimiento Ciudadano party, wrote on Twitter.

“We demand the government of Mexico and the Ministry of the Interior to do what they have to do: guarantee the life and safety of Mexicans in the face of the election,” he added.. A local government source said Tovar was at home when “he was attacked by unknown subjects who shot him on several occasions.”. The source added that the candidate died while being transferred to a hospital.

That same Friday, the Veracruz government announced that it will deploy some 5,200 members of different security forces for Sunday's elections.. On June 6, Mexico will hold the largest elections in its history in which more than 20,000 positions will be elected, including 15 state governments, and the 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies will be renewed.

However, as the election approaches, attacks against candidates have multiplied.. According to the private consultancy Etellekt, 89 politicians have lost their lives during the electoral process, 35 of whom were aspiring to elected positions.

On Wednesday, Marilú Martínez, a candidate for mayor of Cutzamala de Pinzón, in the southern state of Guerrero, was kidnapped, although her party later reported that she was found alive.. On May 25, Alma Barragán, who was running for mayor of Moroleón for Movimiento Ciudadano, in the central state of Guanajuato, was shot to death during a rally in which she was participating with residents of that town.

Since December 2006, when the government launched a controversial anti-drug operation, Mexico has registered more than 300,000 murders, according to official figures that attribute most of those crimes to organized crime.