Former Assemblyman Gustavo Sánchez Vásquez won the Mexicali Mayor seat during Sunday’s midterm election, according to preliminary results.
The National Action Party (PAN in Spanish) member won with 34.7 percent of the votes and above journalist Antonio Magaña, of the Institutional Revolutionary Party with 28.6 percent of the vote.
Sánchez, a lawyer, received the lowest votes for a winning candidate for mayor in Mexicali with 68,178, well below the 89,354 obtained by Víctor Hermosillo in 1998.
The PAN also won the six legislative seats available in Mexicali.
In a press release sent Monday afternoon, Magaña conceded victory.
Statewide, the party was leading in 12 of the 17 legislative seats, as well as in the mayorships of Tijuana and Rosarito, while the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI in Spanish) won five legislative seats and the mayorships of Ensenada and Tecate.
According to the results released by the State Electoral Institute, during Sunday’s election voter turnout was 33.13 percent.
Representatives of opposition parties said Sunday that police officers with the State Preventive Police Department arrested at least four party representatives and even put stickers on their vehicles for alleged illegal campaigning and transportation of voters, especially in rural Mexicali.
The Institute sent Sunday afternoon a memorandum to authorities in order to get an explanation regarding the issue, but no response was sent back.
However, the law enforcement agency said in a press release their activities and operations were seeking to preserve safety in the state. The agency also reported the arrest of María Guadalupe Díaz Aragón at Ejido Nuevo León rural town with a voter list and four voting cards. The suspect was in possession of a document with PRI logos.
Another problem during the election was the late opening of poll sites. Even mayoral candidate Elvira Luna with the Baja California Party had to wait in line for an hour in order to vote.
In many cases, poll workers did not appear to poll sites for unknown reasons.
Electoral Institute Board Chairman Javier Garay said all poll sites were opened in the state by 1 p.m.
In press conferences, PAN and PRI leaders said their candidates won in several races.
The preliminary results program, also known as PREP in Spanish, did not begin releasing information until 7:50 p.m, although PoderNet, the company hired to run the program, said the results were going to be available by 7 p.m.
Men found dead
Two men were found dead early Sunday, wrapped in black plastic bags and with a piece of paper that had a peculiar message, said the Municipal Public Safety Department.
Authorities said the bodies were located at 5:30 a.m. at Tierra Cálida Street at Fraccionamiento Villa Florida neighborhood.
Authorities said the corpses were wrapped in black plastic bags and gray-colored tape.
Police officers found no witnesses who might provide leads about the suspects who left the bodies on the street.
Next to the corpses the police found a yellow piece of paper with the message “Por ratas asi nomas”, meaning their death was due to their relationship to burglaries or robberies.
No more details were provided.
Taxi robbery reported
A 29-year-old man was arrested early Monday after allegedly robbing a taxi driver, said the Municipal Public Safety Department.
Authorities said at 2:40 a.m. a suspect who was identified as Isai “Doe” was arrested at Lázaro Cárdenas Boulevard and Fourth Street at Fraccionamiento Nuevo Mexicali neighborhood in eastern Mexicali.
Police officers found on scene a white vehicle owned by Taxi Cap company with the doors opened.
The vehicle driver told police officers that a man brandished a knife and threatened him.
The suspect then took 390 pesos or $22.94 and fled on foot.
The suspect was eventually found and arrested.
Police agents transported the suspect to the police headquarters.
