Ecuador’s president declared a 60-day state of emergency in the Andean nation after the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, calling it an assault on the country’s democracy.
(Bloomberg) — Ecuador’s president declared a 60-day state of emergency in the Andean nation after the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, calling it an assault on the country’s democracy.
“The armed forces, from this moment on, will mobilize in the whole national territory to guarantee the security of citizens, the tranquility of the country and free, democratic elections on Aug. 20,” President Guillermo Lasso said early Thursday after an emergency meeting of his security cabinet.
“We need to be united now more than ever,” Lasso added.
Villavicencio was killed Wednesday along with one suspect in a shootout between the assassins and the candidate’s protective detail, Lasso said, adding that the attackers threw a hand grenade that failed to explode. Nine other people were wounded and six additional suspects have been arrested, the president said.
Who’s Suspected of Killing Ecuador’s Presidential Candidate: Q&A
The killing of Villavicencio throws Ecuador’s unstable political environment into further turmoil. A poll published just before his killing showed Villavicencio in second place among the eight presidential candidates ahead of the vote.
(Adds president’s comments from second graph.)
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