Houston, TX (Border report) – The mayor of Juarez, Mexico, publicly declares victory in his bid for re-election.

Cruz Perez Cuellar announced his decision late Sunday after preliminary vote counts gave him a 3-1 lead over his closest rivals.

“I am deeply grateful for the renewed trust you have shown in me by re-electing me as mayor. I promise to continue working tirelessly for our beloved city. The transformation of Juarez will continue,” Cruz Perez Cuellar said on Sunday evening.

On Monday at 10:46 a.m., according to the official vote count by the state electoral institute, Perez Cuellar of the Morena party was ahead with 182,869 votes, ahead of Rogelio Loya Luna of a three-party coalition (PAN-PRI-PRD) with 64,732 votes. The remaining 50,000 votes were shared between four other candidates. 51.4 percent of the electoral districts have been counted.

Sunday's election in Juarez was largely uneventful, except for some polling stations that opened late or not at all and the arrest of a man who drove voters to the polling station with 53 envelopes full of money. Eric Ivan EP, 19, was charged with voter fraud, Chihuahua state police said in a statement.

Perez Cuellar took office in 2021 as Juarez's economy began to recover from COVID-19 lockdowns. The mayor is known for visiting disadvantaged neighborhoods daily to dedicate streets, improve schools and host community events. He maintains a liaison office in El Paso as the two border cities have deep economic, familial and cultural ties.

He was also questioned about his ties to a former city official who was under investigation for public corruption. In April, state and municipal police officers raided Perez Cuellar's home and began proceedings to take it away from its owner, Daniel Pando.

The mayor said he rented the house in the exclusive Campestre neighborhood only from Pando. On Sunday, he said his political opponents had repeatedly falsely portrayed him as a target of corruption investigations.

“Despite all the slanders in this unprecedented dirty political war, the people of this city have ignored these cowards and come in large numbers to support me,” Perez Cuellar said.

The mayor has been on leave since mid-April. Deputy Mayor Hector Chaparro has been taking care of the city's affairs since then.

Perez Cuellar said he would return to office after the election and would begin his second term on October 1.