The people of Ecuador has been thrown into utter confusion, over the attack and assassination of presidential candidate, Fernando Villavicencio.
According to report, Fernando was shot on Wednesday evening, August 9, just after leaving the campaign ground in Quito, Ecuardo capital, where he boldly exposed organised crimes and politics going on in the country, being that he was first a journalist before deciding to run for the presidential seat.
While being escorted, surrounded by his supporters and tight security guards to the waiting vehicle, sporadic gunshots from nowhere was heard and people ran ran helter-skelter for safety, some of the gunshots hit the presidential candidate under Build Ecuador Movement (BEM) and he died instantly.
Reports has it that the raid which claimed Fernando’s life, left nine others injured, including a candidate running for the national legislature and two policemen.
Also, one of the suspected assassins was shot and killed by the security personnel, at the scene.
In spite of this unexpected unfortunate incident, Ecuador’s President, Guillermo Lasso, in a press release, declared a two-month State of Emergency in the country. But insisted that the scheduled election would still hold as planned, with soldiers guarding the polling stations.
This was backed up by President of the Ecuador National Electoral Council (NEC), Diana Atamaint.
“the date of the elections scheduled for August 20 remain unalterable,” Diana affirmed.
President Guillermo however declared a 3-day mourning for late Villavicencio Fernando, a great patriot.
“We agree in the face of the loss of a patriot and a fighter, elections should not be suspended; on the contrary, they should be held and democracy should be strengthened.
“The Armed Forces as of this moment are mobilized throughout the national territory to guarantee the security of citizens, the tranquility of the country and the free and democratic elections of August 20.
“I want to say to those who want to threaten the state, we will not hand over the power and the democratic institutions to organised crime even though it is disguised as political organisations,” President Lasso said.
Uncle Galo Valencia, late Fernando’s relative who was at the campaign ground said he initially thought the gunshots were fireworks organized by Fernando’s supporters, until he saw people falling with blood injuries and before they could say jack, his nephew was down in the pool of his own blood.
Galo said he blamed Ecuador government for not giving his nephew the much needed security he deserved.
“What we witnessed was like a horror film. The death of my relative. I have no words for what’s happening in the country. They just killed democracy.”
“What insecurity we live in … if a man who fought more than 20 years, the most likely to win the elections, is silenced. Is this the way to win elections?” Galo said at the crime scene.
Villavicencio Fernando, was one of eight presidential candidates running in the upcoming August 20th, scheduled general election in Ecuado.
Some of his rivals have expressed sadness over the incident, on their microblogging site, X.
“Our deepest condolences and deep solidarity with the loved ones of Fernando Villavicencio. May God keep him in his glory. Our country has gotten out of hand,” Otto Sonnenholzner tweeted.
“Today more than ever, the need to act with a strong hand against crime is reiterated. May God have him in his glory,” Hopeful Jan.
A witness at the crime scene who wished to remain anonymous said;
“We never imagined the tragedy that we are now living in the country. This is terrorism.
“If this can happen to a candidate who supposedly had security and contacts then anyone can be killed. It leaves a clear message that here life is worth nothing.”
Former Ecuador President, Correa also tweeted,
“Ecuador has become a failed state.
“Those who seek to sow even more hatred with this new tragedy, I hope they understand that it only continues to destroy us.”
Villavicencio, died at the age of 59. He hailed from the Andean province of Chimborazo.
Before joining politics, Fernando was a former union member at Petroecuador, the state oil company. He later became an active journalist and a great fighter of crime and corruption, using his voice.
Looking at history, the 2007-17 led government of the former president Rafael Correa, once arrested and detained Villavicencio for 18 months in prison over defamation statements he made against the then president.
In 2014, Villavicencio fled to Indigenous territory within Ecuador and later, in 2017, was given asylum in Peru. He spent time in the Indigenous Kichwa community of Sarayaku in Ecuador’s Amazon.
Human rights activist, Patricia Gualinga, when she received news of his death, said:
“I am crying and very distressed because he was a personal friend.”
Days before his death, Villavicencio, reportedly revealed on national television that his life was being threatened daily, which he believed came from Alias Fito, the jailed leader of the Choneros gang, who kept telling him to quit mentioning his name in his exposure speech. This might make Alias a prime suspect in Fernando’s death.
Ecuador is a country on South America’s west coast.
