Ecuador Declares State of Emergency After Presidential Candidate Shot Dead

Summary:

• Presidential candidate Fernando Villegasencio shot dead after campaign event.
• Authorities declare state of emergency following the shooting.
• Villegasencio's campaign focused on ending corruption and organized crime.
• Candidate's defiance against criminal threats underscored his commitment.
• Criminal gang Los Lobos claims responsibility, but authorities arrest suspects.
• Ecuador grapples with increasing violence and insecurity amidst political transition.
• President Lasso unveils measures to combat rising violence.
• Nation mourns Villegasencio's death and questions its security situation.
• Ecuador's future prospects are uncertain as criminal gangs pose a significant challenge.

A presidential candidate who sought to end Ecuador's violence became one of its latest victims. Fernando Villegasencio had just left a campaign event in the capital Quito when he was shot in the head and killed. Authorities said one of the suspects later died following a shootout with security, nine other people were injured.

As the news spread and as his supporters began to mourn, the man whose job Villegasencio had so wanted addressed the nation. This is a political crime, which has a character of terrorism and we do not doubt that this murder is an attempt to sabotage the electoral process. The other candidates for president condemned the killing, but out of the eight running for office, why was Villegasencio the target? The former journalist was running a campaign to end corruption and organize crime, which has been closely tied to the drug cartels.

Villegasencio said he would take on all of that, arguing so right to his last ever speech. This country doesn't need money, it only has extra thieves, this is the problem, so what we need to do is lock up the thieves. Villegasencio knew saying that could cost him his life, he said he'd received death threats from the Mexican cartels, and yet he carried on. This criminal gang, Los Lobos, which allegedly has ties to the Sinaloa cartel, has claimed responsibility for the murder, but that's not been confirmed by authorities who say they've arrested six people so far. And Villegasencio supported the questioning why he wasn't given more security. Just last month, the mayor of one port city was shot dead, forcing a state of emergency in three provinces.

There's even a state of emergency in Ecuador's prisons, which just like the streets outside, arrive with violence initiated by gangs jockeying for control of the lucrative drug routes. With violence at record levels, President Lasso has unveiled new armored vehicles for the police, as well as ample ammunition. But with him on his way out of office, and Villegasencio now dead, where next for this country where insecurity is voters' top concern? I'm very sad, I'm hurt, my country hurts me. How is it possible that there is so much insecurity and that nothing can be solved, that nothing can be done? In a sign of the times, three days of national mourning have been declared as well as a state of emergency. Villegasencio was not a favorite to win, but the fact he was still seen as a threat is a worrying sign. With the gangs threatening to dictate politics and public life in a way they did to Colombia and Mexico in previous decades, Ecuador's future could be one of the state versus the cartels.

Ecuador's future stands at a crossroads as it grapples with violence, insecurity, and the ominous presence of criminal gangs. The tragic killing of presidential candidate Fernando Villegasencio has plunged the nation into a state of mourning and emergency. The incident highlights the profound challenges the country faces in its quest for stability and a secure electoral process.