Second Mexican mayor killed in two days amid rising political violence

A female mayor in western Mexico was gunned down on Tuesday, becoming the second woman mayor to be assassinated in the country within just 48 hours, AFP reported. 

Martha Laura Mendoza, the mayor of Tepalcatepec in Michoacan state and a member of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Morena party, was shot dead along with her husband, according to a statement from the Michoacan public prosecutor’s office.

The office provided no further details about the incident but confirmed it was treating the case as a femicide. According to former Tepalcatepec mayor and current Michoacan opposition leader Guillermo Valencia, the couple was attacked as they left their home.

This latest killing comes just two days after the mayor of San Mateo Piñas in Oaxaca, Lilia García, was fatally shot in her office, alongside a staff member.

Michoacan, known for its avocado exports and Pacific port of Lazaro Cardenas, has been a hotspot for gang violence for nearly 20 years. Criminal groups continue to target local politicians, particularly in regions where drug trafficking cartels hold sway.

Violence has also surged in Mexico City, where last month two aides of Mayor Clara Brugada were shot dead during rush hour.

Since the Mexican government launched a militarised campaign against drug cartels in 2006, an estimated 480,000 people have been killed, with over 120,000 more reported missing.

Local authorities across Mexico remain vulnerable as organised crime seeks to influence governance through fear and coercion.