The former governor of Colima, Fernando Moreno Peña, is in stable condition in hospital after surviving an assassination attempt Monday in the state capital.
Moreno Peña was shot six times by two men as he ate breakfast at a restaurant in the state capital.
Carlos Salazar Silva, the former president of the University of Colima, was with Moreno Peña at the time of the attack but was unhurt, suggesting that the governor was the intended target.
The politician was conscious when he arrived at the emergency room, hospital staff said. He took bullets to his neck, thorax, arms and hip.
Moreno Peña underwent immediate surgery to close his jugular vein and remained in intensive care at press time.
Moreno Peña was a senior figure in the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and governed Colima from 1997 to 2003. He currently serves as the PRI’s regional delegate for western Mexico.
The shooting is the latest in a string of fatal incidents involving Colima governors.
Moreno Peña’s successor, Gustavo Vazquez Montes, died in a private plane crash after serving less than two years in office. His successor, Silverio Cavazos (2005-2009), was shot dead outside his home in 2010.
Both were affiliated with the PRI.
Senior PRI officials demanded a complete investigation to bring those responsible to justice.