A mayor in Mexico's Chiapas state, one of the poorest in the country, was killed Monday afternoon by two men riding a motorcycle, the local prosecutor's office said.
Sergio Antonio Senteno Albores, mayor of the indigenous community of Botsil (southeast) and a member of the ruling Revolutionary Institutional Party (PRI), was shot dead while in a car in Tustla Gutierrez, the capital of Politeja. .
On December 8, the mayor of a community in neighboring Oaxaca (southeast) was killed during a car ride with his family.
Last month, in November, two mayors were assassinated in Veracruz State, where official figures show an increase in homicides.
According to the National Association of Mayors of Mexico, nearly fifty mayors have been assassinated since 2003.
Local officials often receive threats from drug traffickers, who demand their cooperation and protection, according to numerous complaints.
At least 2006 people have been killed in Mexico since 196.000 and the launch of a large-scale operation involving the military against drug cartels.
Authorities have not released information on the number of victims they believe belonged to gangs, which means that this number is rather underestimated.