INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Mexico will undergo multi-level elections to elect a President, senators and local level officials
(AFP)San Carlos, Mexico: Voters around the world have been known to complain their politicians are crooks, but Mexico takes it to a whole
new level, with multiple current or former prison inmates running for office in Sunday's elections.What's more, even though many voters say
crime and corruption are their top concerns, some of these candidates appear to have a good chance of winning.Here are some of the most
notable cases.Running in place Francisco Lopez is running for mayor of San Carlos, Tamaulipas from a jail cell.Standing for the country's
current ruling party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), he was mid-campaign when police arrested him on May 19 on murder
charges.Lopez, 43, is currently in jail in the state capital, Ciudad Victoria, awaiting trial.In the meantime, Mexican law entitles him to
continue his candidacy."He remains our candidate
We're sure he'll get through this situation he's going through," said state party leader Sergio Guajardo."We're sure he's going to win the
election from prison," he told AFP.He argued that Lopez was not "directly" accused of murdering anyone -- though in fact he is, a social
services official in San Carlos who was shot dead in May -- and asked voters to remember he is considered innocent until proven
guilty.Lopez's family is continuing his campaign."I'm sure my dad didn't do what they're accusing him of
Not just me, but the whole town of San Carlos is sure my father is innocent," said his 15-year-old daughter turned spokeswoman, Fernanda
Lopez.Red cardEx-footballer Cuauhtemoc Blanco, a three-time World Cup veteran who is now running for governor of Morelos state, is accused
of corruption, embezzlement, forgery and involvement in organized crime.Blanco, 45, is currently the mayor of state capital Cuernavaca
He is running for a coalition led by the left-wing party Morena.The third-highest goal scorer in the history of the Mexican national team,
he offered his sporting record as proof of character."When I represented Mexico, I did it for my country, I did it for all of you
Believe me, I won't let you down
I'm not like this current batch of bastards" in power, he said in launching his campaign.'To err is human' Enoc Diaz, a former mayor, was
jailed in 2015 for torture, abuse of office and racketeering.Today his is trying to win back his old job as mayor of Pueblo Nuevo
Solistahuacan in Chiapas state."It's human to make mistakes
What's stupid is to keep on making them," said Enoc Hernandez, a local leader for Diaz's coalition."I hope his time behind bars changed his
attitude," he added, though he insisted that Diaz was cleared of wrong-doing.Front officeCarlos Lomeli, a candidate for governor of Jalisco
state, was named in a US investigation along with Mexican footballer Rafael Marquez as partners in a company that allegedly acted as a front
for an international drug-trafficking gang.Lomeli has presented letters from Mexican and US officials that he says absolve him.In his asset
disclosure as a candidate, he declared a net worth of $9.9 million.As for Marquez, he is currently playing for Mexico in the World
Cup.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
