2015 Mexican legislative election

Legislative elections were held in Mexico on 7 June 2015, alongside municipal elections.

Background
Traditionally elections had taken place on the first Sunday of July, but in 2015 were set to the first Sunday of June.

Electoral system
The 500 members of the Chamber of Deputies were elected by two methods; 300 were elected in single-member constituencies and 200 by proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency. Constitutional reforms in 2014 led to the creation of the National Electoral Institute, replacing the Federal Electoral Institute.

Conduct
There were around 22 reported killings across the country, possibly involving campaign coordinators, precandidates and candidates. Notable cases included the 2 June campaign of Miguel Ángel Luna Munguía, the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) candidate for federal deputy in the state of Mexico, and the 27 May campaign of Israel Hernández Fabela, the PRI candidate for local representative for the Federal District's campaign coordinator.

In certain parts of the country that had already experienced significant governance issues, the atmosphere before the elections was even more tense and violent. The states of Oaxaca, Michoacán, Jalisco and Guerrero were notable among them. Since drug trafficking organizations and other organized crime elements control significant regions, the state security forces stationed there engage in activities and operations that create extremely dangerous and unique situations for citizens, like the violent clashes with the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel that occurred in Jalisco at the beginning of May. The cartel demonstrated significant firepower, shooting down a Cougar helicopter of the Mexican Army, in which nine troops died, mostly members of the special forces and the Federal Police.

Violent attacks occurring before the 2015 elections included:


 * In the municipality of Tixtla, Guerrero, riots occurred in protest of the disappearance of 43 students from a rural school in the town of Ayotzinapa. After the burning of more than 20% of the polling stations, the elections in the municipality were declared annulled, leaving the votes for state governor, federal and local deputies outside the official count and the municipal mayoral election annulled.


 * In the state of Michoacán and Tabasco, blockades were reported in the municipalities of Nahuatzen, Cherán, Amacuzac and Villahermosa where some of the facilities where the polling stations were going to be installed were blocked.
 * in Jiutepec, Morelos, homemade bombs were thrown at an urn, causing two injuries.

Protocol to Address Political Violence against women
 * Attack on Rosendo Cruz, candidate from the National Action Party for federal deputy for the district of Tula de Allende (June 6, 2015).
 * Attack on the headquarters of the Institutional Revolutionary Party in Matamoros, Tamaulipas although there were no injuries (June 6, 2015).
 * Murder of PRD candidate Aidé Nava González for mayor of Ahuacuotzingo, Guerrero (March 10).
 * Murder of Ulises Fabián Quiróz, candidate in Chilapa.
 * Murder of candidate Enrique Hernández, candidate for mayor of Yurécuaro for Morena (May 14, 2015).
 * Murder of 4 people from the Nueva Alianza party in Ixcapuzalco.
 * Murder of Miguel Ángel Luna candidate in Valle de Chalco.
 * Murder of Héctor Cruz López, PRI militant for councilor in Huimanguillo (May 14).

The challenges that women face in exercising their political and electoral rights arose from the violent circumstances surrounding the 2015 election cycle. To that end, the Protocol was signed in conjunction with a number of institutions, including FEPADE, the Court Electoral of the Judicial Branch of the Federation, the Executive Commission for Attention to Victims and the National Institute for Women, among others, with the goal of fostering equality, non-discrimination and non-violence in political and electoral spaces, as well as the appropriate exercise of political and electoral rights by women.