On the morning of Wednesday, March 19, in San Pablo Etla, at the exit of the Fraccionamiento El Progreso, the SUV driven by Bersahín López López, carrying his minor son, was struck by another vehicle.
While initial reports, especially on social media, suggested it was an attempted kidnapping or even an assassination attempt, none of this matched the facts. According to preliminary investigations by Oaxaca’s Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), it was a traffic incident caused by another vehicle hitting the left side of the SUV belonging to the former 2022 gubernatorial candidate for the Nueva Alianza Party (Panal).
The offending vehicle—a red car—collided violently with the politician’s SUV before immediately fleeing the scene. López López received medical attention from San Pablo Etla’s emergency unit, while the municipal police—first responders—supported the traffic accident version.
Authorities also emphasized that “the occupants of the red SUV did not exit the vehicle or display any firearms”, contradicting the narrative put forth by López López’s political party.
Nueva Alianza demands an investigation
The state committee of the Nueva Alianza Party in Oaxaca denounced via social media what it called “the assassination attempt against our secretary general, Bersahín López López, on the morning of Wednesday, March 19, while he was traveling in his vehicle with his underage son near San Pablo Etla, just blocks from his home”.
Panal added that “armed individuals rammed the vehicle and assaulted our leader; in fear and desperation, his son ran barefoot to seek help (…). We call on authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into this attack and guarantee security”.
Who is Bersahín López López, former Oaxaca gubernatorial candidate?
On June 5, 2022, six Mexican states held elections to renew their governorships, including Oaxaca. After registering on March 12 of that year, Bersahín Asael López López was formally named the Nueva Alianza Party’s candidate.
Bersahín López López was born in Nejapa de Madero 42 years ago. He grew up and lived for a long time in Tlacolula before moving to San Pablo Etla. He completed high school at the Universidad Regional del Sureste (URSE) and studied Political Science at Universidad José Vasconcelos de Oaxaca.
He is one of the founders of the Nueva Alianza Party in Oaxaca and has served as Secretary of Youth in Tlacolula de Matamoros (2006–2008), private secretary in the Mexican Senate (2011–2012), state leader of Nueva Alianza (2012–2020), and later as coordinator of the party’s political operations cabinet in Oaxaca (2021).
