Despite the dramatic circumstances, Ecuador decides to move forward at all costs. President Guillermo Lasso declared a state of emergency on Thursday, August 10, and requested the help of the FBI in the investigation into the murder on Wednesday of one of the presidential favorites, Fernando Villavicencio.
A state of emergency was declared for a period of 60 days in order to guarantee the holding of the ballot, the first round of which, on August 20, was maintained by the National Electoral Council (CNE). “The armed forces are currently mobilized throughout the national territory in order to guarantee the security of citizens, the tranquility of the country and free and democratic elections”, assured Mr. Lasso in a speech broadcast on YouTube.
Shortly after, he announced on X (ex-Twitter) that he had “requested the support of the FBI” in the investigation into the murder of Mr. Villavicencio, assuring that the American federal police had accepted the request. “A delegation will arrive in the country in the next few hours,” he said. He also decreed three days of national mourning “to honor the memory of a patriot”, that of the 59-year-old centrist candidate who was shot dead Wednesday evening at the end of a campaign rally in Quito. The attack also injured nine people, authorities said, including an assembly candidate and three police officers.
“Organized Criminal Groups”
According to the Ecuadorian police, the six suspects arrested after the attack are of Colombian nationality, as well as a seventh assailant shot dead by the security forces.
“Initial information confirms that those arrested belong to organized criminal groups,” Interior Minister Juan Zapata said, without specifying which ones, at a press conference. “Organized crime has gone very far,” Lasso said, saying he was “outraged and shocked.” “I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished,” he promised.
Mr. Villavicencio’s movement, Construye, has called for the creation of an international commission to investigate the murder of its “brave” leader, a former journalist and fierce critic of corruption who was running for the country’s first presidency.
On the gates of the sports hall in front of which he lost his life, posters show him smiling next to a banner that reads: “The NARCOPOLITICS will pay. Forever. Fernando T.Q.M. [for Te Queremos Mucho, we love you very much]”. White roses were placed nearby.
A handful of supporters gathered during the day near the funeral home where Mr. Villavicencio’s body was transferred. Some were holding signs that read, “they killed my president.”
Already threatened twice
The international community strongly condemned the killing, with Washington calling it a “heinous act of violence”, the European Union an “attack on democracy” and France a “barbaric act”. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, denounced an “appalling murder”, calling the violence against politicians “a serious threat to the electoral process and the ability of the people to express their democratic will”.
Last week, the presidential candidate, who was under police protection, had twice reported threats against him and his team.
In recent years, Ecuador has faced a wave of violence linked to drug trafficking which, in the midst of the electoral process, has already led to the death of a mayor and a candidate for Parliament. Just days before being killed, Mr. Villavicencio had denounced irregularities in public contracts. One of his main feats of arms remains to have sent former President Rafael Correa (2007-2017) to the dock thanks to one of his investigations. Mr. Correa, a refugee in Belgium, was sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison in this case.
Mr. Villavicencio was among eight declared candidates in the snap general elections prompted by the dissolution of the Assembly in May by Mr. Lasso. The former journalist ranked second in voting intentions with around 13%, according to the latest polls from the Cedatos institute, behind lawyer Luisa Gonzalez (26.6%), close to former President Correa.
