Quito, Aug 9 (EFE).- The candidates for the Presidency of Ecuador in the upcoming extraordinary general elections on August 20 expressed their dismay and indignation at the murder of their rival Fernando Villavicencio, who was shot as he was leaving an electoral rally in quit.
A few minutes after confirming the death of the journalist and former assemblyman, the other seven presidential candidates expressed their condolences and solidarity with the families, friends and loved ones of Villavicencio.
Former Vice President Otto Sonnenholzner expressed his “deepest condolences and deep solidarity” and wished “that God keep him in his glory.”
“Our country has gotten out of hand,” said Sonnenholzner, referring to the insecurity crisis that Ecuador is going through and that has practically monopolized the debate of the electoral campaign.
For her part, Luisa González, candidate of the Citizen Revolution, the party led by former President Rafael Correa (2007-2017), indicated that she received “with indignation, impotence and deep sadness the terrible news of the attack that caused the death of Fernando Villavicencio “.
“My solidarity hug to all his family and co-ideators. This vile act will not go unpunished!” González said of Villavicencio, who had established himself as one of the main detractors of former President Correa with accusations of corruption involving his administration .
On his side, the leftist and environmentalist Yaku Pérez was “appalled by the tragic and reprehensible murder of Fernando Villavicencio.”
“My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. This fact will not go unpunished, Ecuador does not deserve one more death, it is time to unite and recover peace,” Pérez said.
In the same vein, the businessman and security specialist Jan Topic expressed his regrets “deeply as an Ecuadorian” the deadly attack suffered by Villavicencio.
“Today more than ever, the need to act with a strong hand against crime is reiterated. May God have him in his glory,” Topic remarked.
Meanwhile, businessman and former assemblyman Daniel Noboa stated that “this is an attack against the country, democracy and the peace of all Ecuadorians.”
Meanwhile, businessman and politician Xavier Hervás assured that Ecuador “has reached a critical point” in the security crisis with the assassination of a presidential candidate like Villavicencio.
“This is one more Ecuadorian who has fallen victim to organized crime. We join his family, friends and co-ideators in prayer. Today is a black day for democracy. A day of mourning for Ecuador,” Hervás asserted.
The independent lawyer Bolívar Armijos agreed with this, declaring that “Ecuador is in mourning, the country is bleeding to death with so much violence and insecurity.”
Villavicencio was assassinated when he was shot by unknown persons as he was leaving an electoral rally for his campaign in a central sector of Quito.
The candidate, who like other applicants had police protection, had denounced death threats against him in previous days.
The murder of Villavicencio leaves an electoral campaign stained with more blood where the security crisis practically dominated the political debate and the proposals of the candidates.
In previous weeks, the mayor of Manta, Agustín Intriago, and a candidate for assembly in the northern province of Esmeraldas were also murdered in a similar way.
Ecuador has been experiencing the worst security crisis and violence from organized crime in its history for just over two years, which led it to close 2022 with the highest rate of violent deaths in its history, registering 25.32 per 100,000 inhabitants.
The vast majority of these intentional homicides are associated, according to the Government, to organized crime and drug trafficking, which has gained strength on the coast and has turned Ecuadorian ports into large springboards for cocaine that reaches Europe and North America. EFE
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