EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – The mayor of Juarez, Mexico, is publicly claiming victory in his bid for re-election.
Cruz Perez Cuellar made the announcement late Sunday, as the preliminary vote count gave him a 3-to-1 advantage over his closest rivals.
“I am profoundly thankful for your renewed trust by electing me as your mayor once again. I promise to continue working tirelessly for our beloved city. The transformation of Juarez will continue,” Cruz Perez Cuellar said Sunday night.
As of 10:46 a.m. on Monday, the official vote count of the State Electoral Institute showed Perez Cuellar of the Morena Party ahead with 182,869 votes compared to 64,732 for Rogelio Loya Luna of a three-party coalition (PAN-PRI-PRD). Four other candidates split the remaining 50,000-plus votes with 51.4 percent of precincts counted.
Sunday’s election in Juarez was mostly uneventful, except for several polling stations that opened late or did not open at all, and the arrest of a man who was driving voters to the polls while in possession of 53 envelopes with money. Eric Ivan E.P., 19, has been charged with electoral crimes, the Chihuahua state police said in a statement.
Eric Ivan E.P., 19, has been charged with electoral crimes, the Chihuahua state police said in a statement. (Chihuahua State Police)
Perez Cuellar took office in 2021 as Juarez’s economy began to recover from the COVID-19 lockdowns. The mayor has become known for daily visits to disadvantaged neighborhoods to inaugurate streets, school improvements and emcee community events. He maintains an El Paso Liaison’s Office as the two border cities share deep economic, family and cultural ties.
He also has been questioned for his ties to a former city official investigated for public corruption. In April, state and municipal police officers raided Perez Cuellar’s home and began proceedings to seize it from its owner, Daniel Pando
The mayor said he was only renting the home from Pando in the exclusive Campestre neighborhood. On Sunday, he said his political opponents always misrepresented him as the target of the corruption probe.
“Despite all the slander of this unprecedented dirty political war, the people of this city ignored these cowards and came out in great numbers to support me,” Perez Cuellar said.
The mayor has been on leave since mid-April. Deputy Mayor Hector Chaparro has overseen city affairs since.
Perez Cuellar said he planned to return to his duties once the election was over. He would start his second term on Oct. 1.
