Opposition candidate Villavicencio was shot dead in Quito last week. Now another politician has been killed. A presidential candidate speaks of Ecuador’s “bloodiest epoch in its history.”
Shortly before the presidential elections in Ecuador, another local politician was killed in the north-west of the country. Pedro Briones of ex-President Rafael Correa’s Revolución Ciudadana (Citizens’ Revolution) party was shot dead in Esmeraldas on the Pacific coast.
“Ecuador is experiencing the bloodiest period in its history. The incompetent government has given up and the state has been taken over by the mafia,” wrote Revolución Ciudadana’s presidential candidate Luisa González on the online platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “My solidarity goes to the family of comrade Pedro Briones, who fell victim to the violence. Change is urgently needed.”
Opposition candidate Fernando Villavicencio was shot dead on Wednesday last week after an election campaign event in the capital, Quito. The government blamed organized crime for the crime.
Transit country for cocaine
Ecuador serves as a transit country for cocaine, and several crime syndicates fight for control of the smuggling routes. Villavicencio had announced that he would crack down on corruption and crime.
In recent weeks, the mayor of the port city of Manta and a candidate for a seat in the National Assembly in Esmeraldas have also been shot dead.
Ecuadorians will elect a new head of state on Sunday. The early presidential and parliamentary elections had become necessary because the conservative head of state Guillermo Lasso had dissolved the National Assembly in the middle of impeachment proceedings for alleged embezzlement against him.
Source: Stern
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