Mexico's political campaigns have been marred by unprecedented violence
From Reforma and Al Jazeerza
Political campaigns in 15 of Mexico's states officially ends today with a level of violence unseen in previous elections.
During past weeks, the country experienced the murder of a candidate for governor and the apprehension of another for ties to drug trafficking and shootouts at campaign rallies.
Politicians in Mexico have said they will press ahead with state elections due on Sunday, despite the assassination of Rodolpho Torre, a leading candidate for governor of Tamaulipas.
Hundreds of mourners turned out on Tuesday for the funeral of Torre, a candidate for the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party. Mexican President Felipe Calderon said the ambush was carried out by drug cartels looking to sway the election and, in a televised address, he called for Mexicans to unite against what he said was a threat to the country's democracy.
Many observers are comparing the current security crisis to Colombia in the 1980s and 1990s, when the drug cartels threatened the state with bombings and political killings
"The message these cartels are sending to the Mexican government is that they have the power to decide when and how to control towns, territories and and ultimately to decide who they want to kill," said one.
