Following the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in an armed attack in Quito, Ecuador’s capital, President Guillermo Lasso has declared a 60-day national state of emergency.
This decisive action was taken after a meeting with the Government’s Security Council, which assessed the crime’s impact, particularly given the upcoming general elections on August 20th, merely ten days away.
The announcement addresses the rise in criminal activities that threaten citizens’ safety and lives.
Under the state of emergency, the Armed Forces will join the Police in restoring public order and dealing with incidents that infringe on individual rights.
There will also be a countrywide limitation on public gatherings to curb violent acts and disband public assemblies that pose threats to public order and safety.
Lasso, attributing Villavicencio’s murder to organized crime and vowing it won’t go unpunished, also decreed three days of national mourning.
During a televised national address, Lasso stated, “Those who try to intimidate the state will find us unyielding.”
“The democracy won’t waver in the face of such brutal acts, and the August 20th elections will remain unchanged.”
He emphasized the need to uphold democratic processes and warned against handing power to criminal entities potentially masked as political organizations.
Furthermore, the Armed Forces will be mobilized to ensure both citizen safety and the integrity of the forthcoming special elections, where Lasso’s successor and 137 National Assembly members will be elected.
President Lasso speculated that Villavicencio’s murder might be an attempt to derail the elections, labeling the act as “terrorist.”
The state’s investigative agency, in response to Villavicencio’s murder, has detained six individuals and reported the death of one suspect during a gunfire exchange with security personnel.