Ecuador in crisis: after murder of presidential candidate, parliamentary hopeful attacked
In Ecuador, following the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, President Guillermo Lasso declared a 60-day state of emergency.
Villavicencio, an anti-corruption journalist, was killed post a political gathering in Quito, with the attackers believed to be Colombian.
Subsequently, Estefany Puente, a National Assembly candidate from the 2-17 and 20 Alliance, was ambushed in Los Ríos province.
Two assailants on a motorcycle shot at her car, narrowly missing her. Social media images show her car’s shattered windshield.
National Police have launched an investigation into the rising political violence. In the wake of Villavicencio’s murder, his remains were moved to a Quito mortuary.
Nine were injured in the related attack.
While the election process remains uninterrupted, there are calls from Villavicencio’s party for an international probe into his murder and a delay in the upcoming candidate debate.
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