(Bloomberg) -- Mexico’s ruling party leader Mario Delgado said Friday he had been detained by gunmen while on the campaign trail of a midterm election plagued by violence.
“We’ve just been detained by a truck with big guns,” Delgado said in a video posted on Twitter, as he and other lawmakers campaigned in the northern border state of Tamaulipas.
A mayoral candidate was killed this week, adding to a death toll that already counts dozens. Others have been kidnapped or threatened. Electoral violence in Mexico is worse this year than any year since 2000, according to Etellekt Consultancy.
Read more: Candidates Shot, Kidnapped, Tied With Noose as Mexico Vote Nears
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has pledged measures to keep politicians safe, but his “hugs not bullets” approach to fighting drug violence has raised questions about the government’s ability to rein in attempts by organized crime groups to interfere in the midterms.
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