Ecuadorian politics has been rocked by a series of violent incidents. The most recent victims are two political candidates who have pledged to fight corruption and dismantle criminal organizations linked to political figures.
Fernando Villavicencio, a presidential candidate running under the Build Ecuador Movement, was assassinated outside a school gym in Quito.
This tragic event occurred just moments after he had delivered a passionate speech promising to combat corruption and imprison criminals.
Villavicencio, a fearless advocate for justice, publicly declared his determination to confront these threats head-on, even naming notorious criminal ‘Fito’ Macías in his final statement.
The very next day, Estefany Puente, a congressional candidate for Ecuador’s National Assembly, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt.
Two suspects on a motorcycle opened fire on her vehicle in Quevedo, a city in the province of Los Ríos. Puente was grazed by a bullet on her left arm, but thankfully survived the attack.
Despite this harrowing experience, Puente remains resolute in her commitment to root out corruption from public institutions.
These incidents have sent shockwaves through the nation, highlighting the dangerous intersection of politics and crime in Ecuador.
Both Villavicencio and Puente had made it their mission to dismantle criminal organizations linked to political figures, a stance that may have put them directly in the line of fire.
In response to Villavicencio’s assassination, Ecuadorian authorities arrested six Colombian suspects and charged them with illicit trafficking of substances. One additional suspect died following a shootout with the police.
All seven men had previous criminal records in both Ecuador and Colombia. However, as of Friday, no arrests had been made in connection with the assassination attempt on Puente.
Villavicencio’s murder has been described by Ecuador’s Interior Minister Juan Zapata as a ‘political crime of a terrorist nature’, intended to disrupt the upcoming August 20 elections.
In response, President Guillermo Lasso declared three days of national mourning and a state of emergency, deploying additional military personnel throughout the country.
Despite these tragic events, the spirit of democracy remains unbroken in Ecuador. Puente, who is running under the Popular Unity Movement, vowed to continue her work alongside the party’s presidential candidate Yaku Pérez to eradicate corruption and jail ‘white collar’ criminals.
These incidents serve as a stark reminder of the high stakes involved in the fight against corruption.
As the people of Ecuador mourn the loss of Villavicencio and rally around Puente, their resolve to stand against corruption and criminality remains stronger than ever.