Guatemalan Mayoral Candidate Killed

The Guatemalan Human Rights Office recently released a report warning that 42% of the country's municipalities (140 out of 333) are likely to suffer election violence this year. Sixty percent of the country's municipalities (201) will suffer from criminal violence and organized crime.

A TSE worker was killed in January, a former congressman in December, and a mayor in November. However, things have gotten worse this weekend.

On Saturday afternoon, eight people were killed in an attack on Mayra Lemus, a mayoral candidate for the UNE-GANA ticket in Moyuta, Jutiapa (on the southern border with El Salvador). The armed men came for him while he was dining in a restaurant.

Authorities are obviously investigating political motivations behind Mayra Lemus' attack. Her brother and former mayor of Mayuta, 48-year old Magno Lemus Pérez, apparently died of a suspicious heart attack in October 2009. It doesn't look like anyone thought much about it until his name popped up on wiretaps related to the Rosenberg murder. Magno's name was found on a list of people to be killed.

While not related to election violence, gunmen also shot and killed the vice-president of a last-place soccer team in the country's national league. Authorities are investigating death threats that the man received several weeks ago after his team's poor performance.