Mexico to deploy 27,000 troops to ensure election security

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MEXICO CITY, Mexico — Mexico’s government said Tuesday it will deploy about 27,000 soldiers and National Guard members to bolster security during this weekend’s general election after a series of violent incidents targeting local candidates.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the aim of Sunday’s action was to allow Mexicans to vote “calmly, safely and without fear.”

read: Disinformation war sweeps Mexico’s presidential race

The outgoing left-wing populist expressed confidence that the election would be “clean, free and, most importantly, peaceful.”

In addition to electing a new president, Mexicans will also elect members of Congress, several governors and a host of local officials.

In total, more than 20,000 positions were contested.

Violence usually surges in the run-up to Mexico’s elections, and this year is no exception.

Security Minister Rosa Isela Rodríguez said 22 candidates for local office had been killed since elections began last September.

Some non-governmental organizations report even higher figures, with Data Civica counting 30 murders of local politicians.

read: Insecurity: The biggest challenge facing Mexico’s next president

Governing party candidate Claudia Sheinbaum leads the presidential election with about 56 percent of voters, according to an average of opinion polls by research firm Oraculus.

Opposition rival Xochitl Galvez came in second with 33 percent, while centrist candidate Jorge Alvarez Maynez had 12 percent.

Criminal violence, which has left more than 450,000 people dead and tens of thousands missing since 2006, will be one of the main challenges facing the next president.