Mexican governor resigns amid scandal over missing students

People hold posters with pictures of the 43 missing students from the Ayotzinapa teachers' training college, during a demonstration demanding information, along Tixtla road in Chilpancingo, in the Mexican state of Guerrero, October 23, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

MEXICO CITY - The governor of the violence-torn state of Guerrero in southern Mexico announced his resignation Thursday in the wake of a scandal involving 43 students who had gone missing.

In a televised press conference, Governor Angel Aguirre Rivero said he hoped his resignation would help "promote a favorable political climate to focus attention and lead to a resolution" of the incident.

The state Congress is expected to consider his resignation and name a replacement if necessary.

His resignation came a day after renowned intellectuals from around the globe joined a growing international outcry demanding justice for the 43 missing students.

The students were reportedly abducted on Sept 26 in Iguala following a clash with municipal police.

Iguala Mayor Jose Luis Abarca and his wife, who have been in hiding since news of the crime made headlines nationwide, were officially accused Wednesday as the masterminds behind the incident.

Jesus Murillo Karam, head of the National Attorney General's Office, said the couple have ties to a local criminal ring known as the Guerreros Unidos.

Abarca was stripped of his office in absentia, but public pressure had been mounting for the governor to step aside, as reports claimed Aguirre had been informed of the mayor's involvement in criminal activity, but did nothing.

National and international organizations have also accused Murillo Karam of ignoring reports of violence in Iguala.