In Ecuador presidential hopeful Fernando Villavicencio was shot dead at a campaign rally on Wednesday in Quito. He was shot in the head three times. He was running on a platform opposing corruption and organized crime. His death came just 10 days before Ecuador’s general election, which is scheduled to proceed on Sunday as planned.
Authorities in Ecuador have arrested six people in connection with the murder. One suspect was killed. Officials said all of the suspects in custody are Colombian and alleged members of a drug trafficking group.
It’s a move that has been widely expected and been something that Ecuadorian society has been pressuring for for a long time. But Guillermo Lasso’s government had been, you know, quite reticent from doing that because of suspected links with this organization, with this criminal organization. Just a couple of weeks ago, after the assassination of the mayor of Manta, one of the biggest cities in Ecuador, Fito, precisely this character, you know, was giving a press conference from within the jail, from within prison, escorted by a police intelligence officer. So, it really is worrisome. We see that there are clear links between the current government and these mafia organizations. The U.S. ambassador to Ecuador, in December of 2021, accused of the Ecuadorian police being filled with narco generals. And unfortunately, our Prosecutor’s Office in the Ecuadorian government has not gone forward with the investigations since then.
— source democracynow.org | Aug 14, 2023