Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso on Thursday declared a two-month state of emergency, a few hours after the assassination of anti-graft presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio during a campaign rally in Quito.
“The Armed Forces as of this moment are mobilized throughout the national territory to guarantee the security of citizens, the tranquility of the country and the free and democratic elections of August 20," Lasso was quoted as saying in an address broadcast on YouTube. The president also declared three days of national mourning to honor the slain leader, who was a vocal critic of corruption and criminal cartels.
This announcement comes as outraged Ecuadoreans protested outside the clinic where Villavicencio died. Dozens of shots had been fired, while a video posted on social media showed Villavicencio getting into a car after the event, before the sound of apparent gunfire and screaming.
JUST IN: Second video emerges from outside rally event at the moment Ecuador presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated. pic.twitter.com/c98bAoPdnz— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) August 10, 2023
A suspect in the crime later died of injuries sustained in a shoot-out, according to the attorney general’s office. The violence injured nine other people, including a candidate for the legislature and two police officers.
President Guillermo Lasso’s government has blamed rising violence on the streets and in prisons on criminal infighting to control trafficking routes used by Mexican cartels, the Albanian mafia, and others to move drugs. He said he would host top security officials at an urgent meeting.
The assassination, which occurred less than two weeks before the scheduled August 20 presidential election, has raised concerns about escalating gang-related violence in the country.
The head of the National Electoral Council said Thursday that Ecuador’s election dates will remain unchanged. “The date of the elections scheduled for August 20 remain unalterable, in compliance with the constitutional and legal mandate," Diana Atamaint said in a joint statement with President Lasso.
Villavicencio, a vocal critic of corruption and criminal cartels, made a bold promise to root out corruption and hold the country’s wrongdoers accountable during his final rally speech. He had previously received death threats, including from international criminal groups like Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, which has gained a foothold in Ecuador.
The assassination comes amid a surge in violence involving rival gangs and escalating crime, leaving Ecuadorians grappling with security concerns. The country has experienced gunfire in major cities and an increase in gang recruitment, further intensifying the situation.
(With AP input)