A politician in the running for a governor’s seat in Mexico held a party with 500 guests to celebrate his birthday despite a ban on gatherings due to a surge in COVID-19 infections in the country.
who in the past was accused rape and of being tied to a drug cartel and an American-born drug lord, dismissed the grave threat of the COVID-19 pandemic when he celebrated his birthday with at least 500 guests.
Félix Salgado celebrated his 64th birthday Thursday with a bash that went on into the early hours of Friday morning in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero, according to local media reports.
The fiesta was held in an open setting and inside an event hall in the capital city of Chilpancingo and featured catered food and live music despite a nationwide ban on gatherings of more than 10 people in states where the pandemic’s risk level is set at orange, as is the case with Guerrero.
As of Monday, Mexico has 140,704 COVID-19 deaths – the fourth highest the world, according to John Hopkins University. Mexico is 13th in the world with 1,621,428 COVID-19 cases, but the fourth-worst hit country by the pandemic in Latin America.
The state of Guerrero has registered 28,215 coronavirus cases and 2,864 deaths.
At least 10 states in Mexico and its capital, Mexico City, are under the red risk level while 19 remain in orange.
Félix Salgado (second from left standing), a candidate for the governor’s seat in the western Mexico state of Guerrero, held a birthday party with at least 500 guests Thursday despite a COVID-19 measure that bans gatherings of more than 10 people in the state, which is under a orange risk level
Guerrero state governor candidate Félix Salgado (right) is being criticized for celebrating his 64th birthday party, which featured a live band, a mariachi and catered food
Félix Salgado (center), a candidate for the governor’s post in the Mexican state of Guerrero, with two guests at his birthday party Thursday in the state capital of Chilpancingo
Images posted to social media showed guests ignoring social distancing protocols imposed by the government and disregarding the use of face masks.
Salgado appeared in multiple photos mingling with guests while wearing a face mask and is also pictured enjoying the tunes of a mariachi.
Félix Salgado (right) seeks the governor’s seat in the western Mexico state of Guerrero under President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s (left) Morena party in the June elections
A live band plays for guests at Félix Salgado’s 64th birthday bash in Guerrero, Mexico, on Thursday. Salgado is making his third attempt for the governor’s seat in the western state. Elections are set for June
Félix Salgado, a candidate for the governor’s seat in the western Mexican state of Guerrero, drew as many as 500 guests for his birthday party Thursday
For Salgado, it will be the third time he seeks the governor’s seat in the western Mexico state of Guerrero under President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s Morena party in the June elections.
However, the controversies surrounding his past came to light last week when Morena party secretary general Citlalli Hernández slammed Salgado’s sexual abuse allegations after being accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in 1998 and a woman in December 2016.
The aforementioned victim said told the Guerrero State Attorney General’s Office that Salgado assaulted her on three separate occasions. The woman came forward again in 2017, but the report was archived.
A worker prepares a tray of food for attendees of Félix Salgado 64th birthday party in Guerrero, Mexico
Félix Salgado was accused of the sexual assault of a teenage girl in 1998 and a woman in 2016
American-born drug trafficker, Edgar ‘La Barbie’ Valdéz, was a high-ranking leader the defunct Beltrán Leyva Cartel and allegedly benefited from the protection Félix Delgado during his term as mayor of Acalpulco
‘It seems to me that by an act of congruence and until we know more details, it is best that we make a decision and that Félix Salgado is not a candidate,’ Hernández said in an interview with W Radio. ‘In Morena we cannot remain silent in the face of cases of possible rape and gender abuse.’
Salgado’s checkered past included allegations that he was bribed by Zetas Cartel and Edgar ‘La Barbie’ Valdéz, high-ranking leader in the defunct Beltrán Leyva Cartel, during his 2005 to 2008 term as mayor of the resort city of Acapulco.
During a January 8 press conference, López Obrador said the links to criminal organizations and sexual assault accusations were just part of a ploy generated by weaker opponents looking to diminish the reputation of their stronger foes.
‘It is a partisan affair and a product of the [election] season.There is a competition in some states because elections are coming, so all this generates controversy, accusations,’ the president said.
‘The only thing I can comment on is that when there are elections or competition, it is about disqualifying the adversary in one way or another.’