Mexico: Protests possible following state elections /update 1

Event

Allegations of fraud - including vote buying and voter intimidation - have been raised in Estado de México state (capital Toluca) following the June 4 gubernatorial elections, in which the ruling PRI party appears to have been victorious. According to preliminary results, the centrist PRI candidate, Alfredo Del Mazo, came in first place with 33.7 percent of the vote over runner-up candidate Delfina Gómez of the leftist Morena party, who garnered 30.8 percent. Final results are expected to be announced on Wednesday, June 7. While Morena party leader Andrés Manuel López Obrador has said he will not call for protests - promising to use legal channels instead to contest the results - spontaneous demonstrations cannot be ruled out.

Regional elections were also held in the states of Coahuila, Nayarit, and Veracruz. According to preliminary results, these elections were won by the PRI in Coahuila and center-left coalitions in Nayarit and Veracruz. 

Advice

Individuals in Mexico - particularly the above four states - are advised to keep abreast of the local sociopolitical climate and to avoid all protests as a precaution.