The 2021 Mexican local elections, held on June 6, 2021, saw voters electing fifteen governors for six-year terms, deputies for thirty state congresses, and officials for 1,910 municipalities. These elections took place concurrently with the country's federal legislative election. The elections, alongside the federal legislative election, were one of the most violent in the country's history, with 91 candidates assassinated prior to election day.
In the lead-up to the election, two prominent electoral alliances were formed: the ruling coaltiton Juntos Hacemos Historia, a left-wing coalition consisting of MORENA, the Labor Party and the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico, and Va por México, a big-tent featuring the National Action Party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party and the Party of the Democratic Revolution. Additionally, Citizens' Movement participated in the elections as an independent party. 13 of the 15 gubernatorial seats up for election were being defended by a party in Va por México.
In the gubernatorial elections, Juntos Hacemos Historia achieved remarkable success, securing twelve out of the fifteen governorships, flipping eleven, while Va por México was only able to successfully defend two of their thirteen seats. The Institutional Revolutionary Party suffered the biggest loss, losing all of its seats up for election to Juntos Haremos Historia, marking the end of the party's state level dominance in Mexican politics.
Background Prior to the campaigning period, 25 state governors signed an agreement with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, which stated that they would maintain neutrality during the elections, uphold the people's free will, reject funding from organized crime, and abstain from utilizing official funds to back specific candidates or parties.
Influence of organized crime Several different criminal gangs implicated in drug trafficking, human trafficking, and fuel theft have a great deal of political influence in some states. The Sinaloa Cartel exercises considerable control in the northwest while the Jalisco New Generation Cartel′s (CJNG) influence is in the west, including the states of Michoacan and Guerrero. The Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas are powerful in the northeast.
In the past, drug cartels have influenced campaigns by supporting candidates and even running some of their own members or sympathizers as candidates for office, such as Lucero Sánchez López, former federal deputy from Sinaloa who was also Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán′s lover. Election-related violence is of particular concern in Michoacan, not only because of the aforementioned drug cartels but also because of armed community police who often act as vigilantes.
Incidents Political assassinations During the campaigning period, 91 candidates were assassinated, where 80% of the cases involved individuals who belonged to a party that did not control the state government. The secretary of Security and Civilian Protection, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, promised to step up security and provide protection to candidates who received threats.
Irregularities and fines The Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE) canceled the registration of 19 candidates of MORENA for failure to report pre-campaign expenses.
The INE canceled the registration of 49 candidates affiliated with MORENA for failing to report expenses related to their pre-electoral campaigns, which affected two gubernatorial, 25 federal deputies, six local deputies, twelve municipal presidents, and four borough president candidates. Two candidates for federal deputy and one for governor of Michoacan from the Michoacán a Redes Sociales Progresistas were also withdrawn. The party was fined MXN $6,714,893.30. Fines were also imposed on PRD (MXN $409,031), MC ($227,886), independents ($182,361), PES ($98,782), Redes Sociales Progresistas ($85,229), PAN ($26,845), and PVEM ($1,476).
The FGR (Federal Elections Prosecutor) is investigating about 80 complaints about Internet celebrities (Spanish: influencers) who illegally used social media to sway votes toward the PVEM.
The INE said that 300 polling places could not be installed in Chiapas, Michoacán or Oaxaca due to social conditions that make voting dangerous or impossible.
Election day violence Daniel Serrano, candidate (MORENA) for municipal president in Cuautitlán Izcalli, complained about vote buying on election day. The Instituto Electoral del Estado de México (IEEM) says that irregularities and violence on election day in Nextlalpan, State of Mexico, make it impossible to give a preliminary vote count (PREP), it may be necessary to hold another election. PRI says that vandals entered the candidate's house and burned it, in addition to sexually assaulting the candidate, and they destroyed voting material. MORENA says the allegation are false.
Violence was reported in Amecameca, Metepec, Naucalpan, Nextlalpan, and Valle de Chalco.
Gubernatorial races summary StateIncumbentCandidatesGovernorPartyBaja CaliforniaJaime Bonilla Valdez Baja California SurCarlos Mendoza Davis CampecheCarlos Miguel Aysa González ChihuahuaJavier Corral Jurado ColimaJosé Ignacio Peralta GuerreroHéctor Astudillo Flores MichoacánSilvano Aureoles Conejo NayaritAntonio Echevarría García Nuevo LeónJaime Rodríguez CalderónIndependent QuerétaroFrancisco Domínguez Servién San Luis PotosíJuan Manuel Carreras SinaloaQuirino Ordaz Coppel SonoraClaudia Pavlovich Arellano TlaxcalaMarco Antonio Mena Rodríguez ZacatecasAlejandro Tello Cristerna
State races Aguascalientes All 27 seats of the Congress of Aguascalientes were up for election, where 18 were elected through first-past-the-post voting and 9 through proportional representation. Additionally, all positions of the state's 11 municipalities were up for election. +2021 Congress of Aguascalientes electionPartyBeforeAfterChangeNational Action Party 12131Morena561Institutional Revolutionary Party413Solidarity Encounter Party202Party of the Democratic Revolution143Ecologist Green Party of Mexico11Citizens' Movement11New Alliance Party101Labor Party011Total2727
Baja California All 25 seats of the Congress of Baja California were up for election, where 17 were elected through first-past-the-post voting and 8 through proportional representation. Additionally, the governorship and all positions of the state's 5 municipalities were up for election. Nearly all the members of the state congress were seeking reelection, except five, which sought other positions in the government. +2021 Congress of Baja California electionPartyBeforeAfterChangeMorena1313Labor Party231Ecologist Green Party of Mexico211National Action Party 231Party of the Democratic Revolution101Institutional Revolutionary Party11Citizens' Movement11Solidarity Encounter Party033Independents303Total2727
Municipal elections Mexicali Municipality – Norma Bustamante (MORENA) Tijuana Municipality – Montserrat Cabellero Ramirez (MORENA)
Baja California Sur All 21 seats of the Congress of Baja California Sur were up for election, where 16 were elected through first-past-the-post voting and 5 through proportional representation. Additionally, the governorship and all positions of the state's 5 municipalities were up for election. +2021 Congress of Baja California Sur electionPartyBeforeAfterChangeMorena891Solidarity Encounter Party303National Action Party 11Institutional Revolutionary Party121Party of the Democratic Revolution11Labor Party143Partido de Renovación Sudcaliforniana121Humanist Party11 Force for Mexico011Independents404Total2121
Campeche All 35 seats of the Congress of Campeche were up for election, where 21 were elected through first-past-the-post voting and 14 through proportional representation. Additionally, the governorship and all positions of the state's 13 municipalities were up for election. +2021 Congress of Campeche electionPartyBeforeAfterChangeInstitutional Revolutionary Party1284Morena11165National Action Party 624Labor Party202New Alliance Party202Party of the Democratic Revolution101Ecologist Green Party of Mexico101Citizens' Movement099Total3535
Municipal elections
Campeche Municipality – Biby Karen Rabelo (MC)
Chiapas All 40 seats of the Congress of Chiapas were up for election, where 24 were elected through first-past-the-post voting and 16 through proportional representation. Additionally, all positions of the state's 124 municipalities were up for election. +2021 Congress of Chiapas electionPartyBeforeAfterChangeMorena12153Institutional Revolutionary Party523Ecologist Green Party of Mexico5105Labor Party561Social Encounter Party413Chiapas Unido422 Podemos Mover a Chiapas22National Action Party 11Party of the Democratic Revolution101 Progressive Social Networks011Independents101Total4040
Municipal elections Comitán – Constantino Kánter (MORENA), former mayor of Comitán (PRI, 2005–2007). Kanter is known for supporting ranchers and landowners against indigenous rights and against the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) during the 1994 uprising.
Chihuahua All 33 seats of the Congress of Chihuahua were up for election, where 22 were elected through first-past-the-post voting and 11 through proportional representation. Additionally, the governorship and all positions of the state's 67 municipalities were up for election.
Before the elections, on March 4, 2021, Yuriel Armando González Lara, mayoral candidate for Nuevo Casas Grandes, was assassinated. +2021 Congress of Chihuahua electionPartyBeforeAfterChangeNational Action Party 12153Morena8102Institutional Revolutionary Party352Labor Party211Ecologist Green Party of Mexico101New Alliance Party101Citizens' Movement022Independents606Total3333
Municipal elections Ciudad Juárez – Cruz Pérez Cuéllar MORENA, former state president of PAN and gubernatorial candidate in 2016
Coahuila
All positions of the state's 38 municipalities were up for election.
Colima All 25 seats of the Congress of Colima were up for election, where 16 were elected through first-past-the-post voting and 9 through proportional representation. Additionally, the governorship and all positions of the state's 10 municipalities were up for election. +2021 Congress of Colima electionPartyBeforeAfterChangeMorena11101Institutional Revolutionary Party651National Action Party 231Ecologist Green Party of Mexico121Citizens' Movement11New Alliance Party11Labor Party11Solidarity Encounter Party11Force for Mexico011Independents101Total2525
Durango All 25 seats of the Congress of Durango were up for election, where 15 were elected through first-past-the-post voting and 10 through proportional representation. +2021 Congress of Durango electionPartyBeforeAfterChangeMorena1073National Action Party 561Institutional Revolutionary Party583Labor Party413Ecologist Green Party of Mexico11Party of the Democratic Revolution022Total2525
Guanajuato All 36 seats of the Congress of Guanajuato were up for election, where 22 were elected through first-past-the-post voting and 14 through proportional representation. Additionally, all positions of the state's 46 municipalities were up for election.
On March 31, 2021, Alejandro Galicia Juárez, candidate for regidor of Apaseo el Grande, was assassinated. +2021 Congress of Guanajuato electionPartyBeforeAfterChangeNational Action Party 16215Institutional Revolutionary Party541Morena583Party of the Democratic Revolution202Ecologist Green Party of Mexico22Citizens' Movement11New Alliance Party101Independents404Total3636
Municipal elections León – Ricardo Sheffield (MORENA), former mayor of León (PAN 2009–2012) and gubernatorial candidate in 2018
Guerrero All 46 seats of the Congress of Guerrero were up for election, where 28 were elected through first-past-the-post voting and 18 through proportional representation. Additionally, the governorship and all positions of the state's 80 municipalities were up for election.