The invention provides a chemical-mechanical polishing composition and a method of chemically-mechanically polishing a substrate with the chemical-mechanical polishing composition. The polishing composition comprises (a) abrasive particles that comprise ceria, zirconia, silica, alumina, or a combination thereof, (b) a metal ion that is a Lewis Acid, (c) a ligand that is an aromatic carboxylic acid, an aromatic sulfonic acid, an aromatic acid amide, an amino acid, or a hydroxy-substituted N-heterocycle, and (d) an aqueous carrier, wherein the pH of the chemical-mechanical polishing composition is in the range of about 1 to about 4.