The violent day left at least five people dead in the municipality of Pueblo Nuevo Solistahuacán. More than 200 polling stations were not installed, the highest number in the history of the state.
By Isaín Mandujano
TUXTLA GUTÍÉRREZ, Chiapas- With burned polling stations, shock groups intimidating voters, confrontations – resulting in five deaths -, the election day in Chiapas took place, where the highest number of uninstalled polling stations – more than 200 – in the history of the state was recorded.
In the town of Jericó, municipality of Parral, a group of rioters snatched the polling places from the election officials, and then burned the ballot boxes and paperwork. They did the same in four other polling centers.
In Chalchihuitán, residents detained members of an armed group which, according to them, forced voters to vote for a specific party; among those detained was the municipal president, Rafael Pérez Orozco, accompanied by Huilo Domínguez. Their captors said that the commander of the armed group was Mariano Díaaz Sánchez, husband of the municipal judge. Another group of people tried to rescue them, so the detainees were immediately handed over to the state authorities, along with the large caliber weapons they were carrying. Another of the municipalities with violent incidents was La Concordia, where during the entire election day, followers of María Victoria Coutiño Monzón, from Morena, confronted with blows and threatened with firearms the followers of Miguel Ángel Córdova, El Amigo Migue, who is seeking the municipal presidency for the Solidary Encounter Party (PES).
The Morena candidate is the wife of the current president of the State Congress, José Octavio Macías García, El Tavi, who is also said to be the person in charge of orchestrating these shock groups against her opponent from the PES.
In Huehuetán, followers of Manuel Ángel Villalobos, candidate to the municipal presidency for the PVEM (Ecologist Green Party of Mexico), were accused of aggressions against sympathizers of his opponent, from Chiapas Unido.
In Honduras de la Sierra and Venustiano Carranza, shock groups prevented the installation of polling stations. The violent day left five dead in the municipality of Pueblo Nuevo Solistahuacán.
Shock groups were deployed today in Villaflores to intimidate voters. They indicated that this shock group was at the service of the PVEM candidate, Mariano Rosales.
This article was published in El Proceso on June 6th 2021. https://www.proceso.com.mx/nacional/estados/2021/6/6/enfrentamientos-grupos-de-choque-casillas-quemadas-marcan-la-eleccion-de-chiapas-videos-265392.html This English interpretation has been re-published by Schools for Chiapas.