LIMA, Peru (Reuters) -- A Peruvian mayor who was seen as the favorite in
                 upcoming municipal elections was gunned down just outside his home in a
                 mountain town of northern Peru, police said on Wednesday.

                 "Mayor (Joselito Fernandez) was attacked from behind and at close range," a police
                 official in the town of Querocotillo, requesting anonymity, told Reuters. He said
                 Fernandez was shot twice early on Tuesday.

                 Eight people were detained following the murder, including Fernandez's chief rival
                 for the municipal elections in November, the official said.

                 Friends of Fernandez told Reuters he had received death threats that became more
                 frequent in recent days.

                 "We are asking for an immediate explanation. This crime should prompt ethical and
                 moral reflection for all those seeking public office," Lourdes Flores, who heads the
                 Unidad Nacional party that Fernandez represented, told CPN radio.

                 Interior ministry sources said they could not rule out political motivation behind the
                 murder of Fernandez, who polls showed was the leader in the local mayoral race.

                 Fernandez's murder attracted attention in this poor Andean nation, where political
                 violence is not an everyday event. Peruvians will head to the polls November 17 to
                 selected more than 1,829 mayors and 25 regional governors.

                 The polls are seen as a crucial test for the unpopular government of President
                 Alejandro Toledo. Most political analysts are predicting that his Peru Posible party
                 will be roundly defeated.

                 Other political parties expressed their sympathy for Fernandez's murder, calling for
                 more security for candidates.

                  Copyright 2002 Reuters.