Mexico: arrest of a senior official for the murder of a municipal candidate

A senior Mexican Senate official has been arrested on charges of being involved in the assassination of a candidate for mayor of a city in the state of Veracruz (east), AFP has learned from the district prosecutor's office .

José Manuel del Río, secretary of the political coordination council of the Senate, is implicated in the murder on June 4 of Remigio Tovar, candidate of the Mouvement Citoyen party for mayor of Cazones.

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Remigio Tovar had been riddled with bullets two days before the legislative and municipal elections. His campaign manager was notably arrested as part of the investigation. José Manuel Del Río, who was a member of the federal parliament and mayor of Tecolutla (2005-2006), in the state of Veracruz, is considered close to the majority senator Ricardo Monreal, president of the Political Coordination Council of the Senate and contender for the succession of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

In a video posted on social networks, Ricardo Monreal estimated that the arrest of José Manuel Del Rio was

and that it was an

The electoral campaign for the June 6 elections was marked by a wave of violence with the assassination of 102 politicians including 36 candidates and potential candidates, according to figures from the private Etellekt institute.

Veracruz is one of the states most affected by the violence of the drug cartels fighting over its territory.