JUAREZ POLICE TO KEEP LOW PROFILE ON ELECTION DAY

Thousands of police officers in Juarez plan to be inconspicuous on
election day, despite the ongoing violence.

Federal, state and municipal police in Juarez will not safeguard
polling stations during the July 4 election, when voters will elect a
mayor, governor and other representatives. Soldiers will not even
come out that day, city officials said.

"Police could scare people away, and instead of people feeling
comfortable, they could feel that they will be inspected or
detained," said Max Frederick of the Juarez elections department. "We
want people to be happy so they can go out and vote."

Law officers said they favor a low-profile approach on election day
for the same reason.

"The instructions are not to get close to the polling booths," said
Jose Ramon Salinas of the federal police. "What we are seeking is for
people not to feel inhibited."

But police will stand by, ready if needed, Salinas said.

In Juarez, the Sinaloa and Juarez drug cartels began battling in
2008. More than 5,500 people have been murdered since, many on busy
streets in daylight.

Residents voting for mayor will choose between Hector Murguia, a
former Juarez mayor and candidate of the Institutional Revolutionary
Party, and Cesar Jauregui, a former state representative and
candidate with the National Action Party. Other candidates have
gained little support.

Competing for the gubernatorial seat are Carlos Borruel, a former
mayor of the city of Chihuahua and PAN candidate, and Cesar Duarte, a
former Mexican congressman and PRI candidate. A third candidate with
the Democratic Revolution Party, Luis Orozco, is less known.

Candidates in both races have made the fight against drug cartels
their main issue. They have also attacked each other with allegations
of ties to drug cartels. No law enforcement agency has confirmed
allegations involving any candidate.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico last week issued an
editorial stating that drug cartels control parts of some cities and
may attempt "to impose candidates" on July 4. It stated that all
levels of government are corrupt and criminal organizations may
conquer political forces in elections.

The editorial also stated that drug cartels may try to impede voters
from going to the polls. Chihuahua was one of the states the church mentioned.

To make Juarez safer, the Mexican government has tried different
strategies. First, it deployed thousands of soldiers in 2009. Now
most soldiers are gone, and about 4,500 federal police officers patrol Juarez.

Despite the violence of the past two years, the Juarez elections
department expects a high voter turnout. Its officials said 11,000
people are willing to supervise polling stations.

"The starting point is the elections," Frederick said. "With a change
in the administration, there will be a change. They all want to be
part of that change."

The main elections polling firm in Mexico, Consulta Mitofsky, said
earlier this month in a report that more than 87 percent of Juarez
residents are very familiar with the 2010 elections. They named the
exact day when elections are taking place, and the majority knew whom
they were voting for in the mayor's and governor's races. The firm
surveyed about 1,000 residents.

Law enforcement agencies met in the city of Chihuahua last week to
make clear that no officer will come close to the polling stations
unless there is an emergency or an elections officer reports
suspicious activity.

The same goes with the largest corps right now in Juarez, the federal police.

A command center at the state elections office will be staffed with
officers from local, state and federal police. It will coordinate
agencies and dispatch officers in case of an emergency.

About 1,500 federal police officers will be patrolling main avenues
that are not near polling sites. They will be ready to respond in
case attacks occur at voting sites.

Various radio commercials in Spanish warn voters of incidents that
could happen during or before elections. One concern is people trying
to unfairly tilt the election by lending or buying voter identification cards.