Villavicencio was shot dead at a campaign rally on Wednesday, just two weeks before the election, and his funeral was on Saturday. A politician, former journalist and anti-corruption fighter was killed in a coordinated attack by a group of gunmen, the court on Friday sent six suspects from Colombia into custody in this connection, the seventh was killed by the police during the intervention.
Villavicencio’s widow Verónica Sarauz has accused the Ecuadorian state of being responsible for her husband’s death. “The government has yet to answer many questions about everything that happened,” she told a news conference. She was wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet and was accompanied by armed police security, Reuters reported.
According to the widow, supporters of former president Rafael Correa are directly or indirectly responsible for the murder, AFP reported. Correa has been living in Belgium for five years, in Ecuador he was convicted of corruption, which he describes as a political process.
According to Sarauz, the appointment of González as the new presidential candidate in her husband’s place is illegal, as the law prohibits vice presidential candidates from resigning. The new candidacy still needs to be approved by the Electoral Council. The Construye party promised to announce the name of the new vice-presidential candidate later.
Early presidential and parliamentary elections will take place in Ecuador on August 20. The ballots have already been printed and the votes for the murdered candidate will automatically go to the new candidate for the same party by law.
The Los Lobos gang has denied involvement in the murder of a presidential candidate in Ecuador, Colombians have been detained
2023-08-13 07:55:55
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