Assassination of presidential candidate shocks Ecuador
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[August 10, 2023]
By Alexandra Valencia
QUITO (Reuters) - The assassination of Ecuadorean presidential candidate
Fernando Villavicencio shocked the South American country, where rising
drug-related violence is a major concern for voters, leading some of his
rivals to suspend campaigning.
Villavicencio, a vocal critic of corruption and organized crime, was
killed on Wednesday during an evening campaign event in northern Quito.
A suspect in the crime later died of injuries sustained in a shoot-out
and six others have so far been arrested, the attorney general's office
said. Nine people, including a candidate for the legislature and two
police officers, were injured, it added.
President Guillermo Lasso said after midnight the crime was clearly an
attempt to sabotage the election, but that voting would go ahead as
planned on Aug. 20, albeit amid a national state of emergency with the
military mobilized to guarantee security.
Lasso also declared three days of mourning.
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The murder prompted anger from Villavicencio supporters towards former
President Rafael Correa, of whom Villavicencio was an outspoken
detractor when he worked as a journalist.
Villavicencio had been sentenced to 18 months in prison for defamation
over statements made against the former president, but he fled to
Indigenous territory within Ecuador and later was given asylum in Peru,
before returning after Correa left office.
"Ecuador has become a failed state," Correa, who now lives in Belgium,
said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. "Hopefully
those who try to sow more hate with this new tragedy will understand
that will only continue to destroy us."
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![](../images/081023PIX/news_w30.jpg)
A view of the rally site where
Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was killed
at a campaign event in Quito, Ecuador August 9, 2023. REUTERS/Karen
Toro
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Aug/10/images/ads/current/debbiesfloral_lda_060123.png)
Candidate Luisa Gonzalez, who is running for Correa's party and
leading with 29.3% support, expressed horror at the killing, but did
not suspend her campaign.
Indigenous candidate Yaku Perez and law-and-order hopeful Jan Topic
both suspended their campaigns, while businessman Otto Sonnenholzner
begged the government to take action.
Lasso, who called the elections early amid an impeachment bid
against him, has blamed heightened violence on the streets and in
prisons on criminal infighting to control drug trafficking routes
used by Mexican cartels, the Albanian mafia and others, and
struggled to push back on crime.
Security concerns, along with employment and migration, are major
issues in the presidential contest.
Villavicencio's party Movimiento Construye said on Wednesday
discussions had been held recently about whether to suspend
campaigning due to political violence, including the July murder of
the mayor of Manta.
Villavicencio opposed the suspension, it said, saying it would be an
act of cowardice.
Villavicencio had on Tuesday made a report to the attorney general's
office about an oil business, but no further details of his report
were made public.
Villavicencio, a married father, had 7.5% support in polls, placing
him fifth out of eight candidates.
(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb;
Editing by Lincoln Feast)
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