Fernando Villavicencio, an Ecuadorian presidential candidate who ran heavily on an anti-corruption message, has been assassinated less than two weeks before the nation’s presidential elections. Villavicencio, a centrist candidate for the Build Ecuador Movement, was gunned down after a political rally on Wednesday, a shocking act in a country that’s historically been peaceful until recent years.
His killing underscores a recent surge in drug-related violence in Ecuador, and has prompted new scrutiny of the growing presence of cartels in the region. Additionally, it raises questions about how organized crime — which Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso blamed for the shooting — has been emboldened to interfere in the democratic process, and if there will be a chilling effect on how confrontational politicians are about corruption. In the wake of this attack, voter fears about security could also lead them to gravitate toward candidates who’ve made this issue a central part of their pitch in the upcoming August 20 election.
“You now have organized crime groups operating with impunity,” Will Freeman, an expert in Latin American politics at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), told Vox. “It underscores how far down the path Ecuador is to becoming a narco state.”
Thus far, six foreign nationals with ties to organized crime groups have been arrested in relation to the killing, and a suspected shooter was killed after exchanging gunfire with police. Villavicencio had previously said he was the subject of death threats, including from the gang Los Choneros, which is affiliated with Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel.
Since the killing, Lasso has declared a state of national emergency and three days of mourning and has committed to accountability for the assassination. Protesters have also marched in multiple cities to condemn the attack.
Who was Fernando Villavicencio?
Villavicencio was a longtime investigative journalist, union leader, and tough critic…
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