Six days before the presidential vote in Ecuador, the Construye (centrist) party of candidate Fernando Villavicencio who was assassinated last week has found a replacement. Journalist Christian Zurita has been appointed to lead the battle in an election marked by the fight against crime and drug trafficking.
Mr. Villavicencio, who was himself a 59-year-old journalist, crusading against corruption in his country, was in second place in the polls on the presidential voting intentions, when he was shot dead on 9 August as he left an election meeting in the capital, Quito.
If his candidacy still has to be validated by the National Electoral Council (CNE), Christian Zurita has already made it known that he would fully follow the political project of his late friend. On Saturday, the party had initially chosen the environmentalist Andrea Gonzalez, candidate for the vice-presidency alongside Mr. Villavicencio, but it reconsidered its decision, for fear that the electoral rules do not invalidate his candidacy.
There is uncertainty over whether Andrea Gonzalez could move from running mate to running for the top job. When in doubt, and in the absence of a response from the CNE within the time limit, the party chose to present Mr. Zurita.
Six Colombians arrested
Since the opening of the investigation into the assassination of the candidate, six Colombians have been arrested. During a new press conference on Sunday, the police commander, General Fausto Salinas, clarified that those arrested have long criminal records, that they have committed an “infinite number of crimes” related to arms trafficking. and drugs, kidnappings and thefts.
Interior Minister Juan Zapata assured him that the investigators are continuing their research to find the sponsor. Located between Colombia and Peru, the world’s largest cocaine producers, Ecuador faces a worrying rise in drug trafficking and gang violence.
In 2021, the country seized a record 210 tons of narcotics and 201 tons the following year. Ecuador saw the homicide rate almost double in 2022 compared to the previous year, reaching 26 per 100,000 inhabitants.
In this context, the issue of crime and the fight against drug trafficking came up on Sunday during the debate between the seven presidential candidates, which began after a minute’s silence in memory of the centrist Fernando Villavicencio.
To mark the absence of the assassinated candidate, an empty chair was placed on the television set, where the security device was reinforced. Right-wing candidate Daniel Noboa wore a bulletproof vest, while indigenous lawyer Yaku Pérez, a left-wing candidate, showed off a black ribbon on his chest.
Campaign Against Crime
“We are going to build this new penitentiary on the coast safely to remove it from the urban center of Guayaquil”, one of the most violent cities in the country, said candidate Luisa Gonzalez, close to former left-wing president Rafael Correa (2007-2017). The large prison complex of Guayaquil (South-West) was the scene of the worst prison massacres in the country. Since February 2021, more than 430 prisoners have been killed in the gangs’ war to dominate the drug trade.
For his part, former Vice President Otto Sonnenholzner (right) has proposed restricting the entry of foreigners “with a criminal record” into Ecuador. According to Jan Topic (right), a former member of the French Legion, the key to fighting crime would be “to equip and train our law enforcement and integrate all intelligence sources to find out how the Dirty money from drug dealers and corrupt people are on the move”.
To curb drug trafficking, Xavier Hervas (center right) has proposed to “militarize seaports and international airports” to deter cartels from transiting cargoes bound for the United States and Europe through Ecuador . Yaku Pérez advocates law enforcement patrols and the presence of “teachers and doctors” among the populations most affected by the violence.
