Mexico's electoral body blocks ruling party candidate in gubernatorial election over spending report
Mexico's highest electoral authority on Tuesday formally blocked the gubernatorial candidacy of a ruling-party politician, backed by the country's president, for failing to submit pre-campaign spending reports.
Felix Salgado Macedonio, a former mayor of the popular tourist destination of Acapulco, had been running for governor of the state of Guerrero as a candidate of President Andres Manual Lopez Obrador's ruling MORENA party.
Lopez sparked controversy with his support for Salgado, who faces a rape allegation which he rejects, despite mounting pressure from feminist groups and members of the ruling MORENA party itself.
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The president said calls for Salgado to step down were politically motivated.
Delgado wrote on Twitter that the ruling was a "clear blow to democracy."
On Tuesday, Mexico's electoral authority also withdrew a second MORENA candidate, Raúl Morón Orozco, who had been running for governor of the state of Michoacan.
