(6 Oct 1996) Spanish/Nat Local elections in Mexico's southwestern state of Guerrero passed off peacefully Sunday, as the dominant guerilla group in the area, the Popular Revolutionary Army - EPR - retreated temporarily, easing worries about possible election day violence. Government troops too stayed in their barracks. The people of Guerrero state are voting for an all-new 28-member state Congress, the outcome of which will test the ruling party's grip on local power. Election day in Hatzacoalaya, Guerrero state. The sound of crackers and gunfire is all too familiar to these locals, who live in what is considered to be the most violent state in Mexico. The threat of guerrilla war has driven the campaigns in 76 municipalities and the all-new 28-member state congress being elected Sunday. Disenchantment with the government has remained high in this impoverished state since police massacred 17 local men in June 1995 in the mountains above Acapulco. The EPR first appeared in Guerrero on the anniversary of the killing. And in August the rebels killed at least 19 people in Guerrero and neighbouring Oaxaca state. But they have promised a ceasefire during the election period. So far, the army has kept its presence to a minimum, and the polling stations have seen a steady trickle of voters, without any threat of violence. The rural communities of Guerrero state make up nearly half of its residents. Most of the voters here live in homes with dirt floors, lacking plumbing and even drinking water. And the state has the highest illiteracy rate in the country: 27 per cent. But according to observers, people are still politically aware. SOUNDBITE:(Spanish) "Most people here don't know how to read. But they do know whom they are going to vote for." SUPER CAPTION: Jose Barajas, Independent Observer Independent observers are hoping the guerrilla truce will continue, and that the elections can be declared clean. SOUNDBITE:(Spanish) "I really hope that this is an uneventful election. No matter who will be the winner, the only thing that matters is that the election be clean." SUPER CAPTION: Wenceslao Javier Sanchez, Independent Observer But the independent watchdog group Civic Alliance received reports of numerous voting irregularities, including vote buying by the PRI in the large cities of Iguala and Acapulco. There were also reports of armed policemen at voting booths in Chilapa municipality - despite government promises not to intimidate voters. Fears of a guerrilla war were likely to help Mexico's ruling party, which has retained power for 67 years in large part because it has maintained political stability over the decades. High abstention also has tended to favour that party. But since allowing free local elections two years ago, its share of the local vote has been slipping. The leftist Democratic Revolutionary Party, the second political force in Guerrero, hopes to regain some of the seats it lost to the ruling party in local elections three years ago. The conservative National Action Party - PAN - hopes to win control of its first municipality in Guerrero state. Guerrero has been marred by a violent history. And although the EPR have retreated for the time being, the final election results will determine the future course of their campaign. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/a2436a50a17e958105e9933986cf5f98

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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