By Athena Papakosta

In front of the eyes of citizens, he fell dead from a barrage of fire received by the candidate for the President of Ecuador, Fernando Villavicencio. Shortly before, he had just finished his campaign speech in front of the television cameras.

He pledged to root out corruption and jail the country’s “robbers”. He was 59 years old, trade unionist, journalist and centrist. Two weeks before the crucial presidential election in Ecuador, he was messing with the cartels. He was not the favorite of the pre-election race but second according to the polls. His assassination brought to the surface the country’s deep problems with organized crime, which has claimed the lives of many people for decades and is now the biggest challenge for Ecuador’s new president.

In videos making the rounds around the world, Villavicencio is seen wrapping up his final campaign speech in the capital, Quito, walking to his vehicle surrounded by security men and getting into it when gunfire erupts. The assembled crowd falls to the ground. Many are screaming. Fernando Villavicencio is mortally wounded. At least nine people are injured, among them a candidate for parliament.

The candidate for the presidency of Ecuador had already received three threats against his life before the attack which he had reported to the Police Authorities.

“This is a political crime that has a terrorist nature. We have no doubt that this assassination is an attempt to undermine the electoral process,” the country’s president, Guillermo Lasso, said. Otto Sonnenholzner, also a presidential candidate and former vice president of the country, in a press conference he gave, emphasized that “We are dying. We are drowning in a sea of ​​tears. We don’t deserve to live this way.”

After the attack, six arrests followed, while one suspect was killed after an exchange of fire. For the country’s president, Villavicencio’s murder could be linked to organized crime, and he insisted on holding the elections on their originally scheduled date, August 20. “Considering the loss of a democrat, a fighter, the election is not postponed. On the contrary, they must be held and democracy must be strengthened”, he pointed out.

Three days of mourning have been declared in Ecuador and the country remains in a state of emergency with the army deployed on its streets until further notice.

In his last speech, Villavicencio promised voters that he would crack down on corruption and jail more criminals. He had already received threats from members of an organization linked to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, one of several international murderous cartels now active in Ecuador.

“Here I am showing you my face. I’m not afraid of them” he said a few minutes before he fell dead while also referring to Alias ​​Fito from the Los Choneros criminal organization by name.
For many it was a premeditated murder. Los Lobos claimed responsibility. It is the second largest gang in the country with many of its members in prison.
Ecuador is located in South America and is facing a prolonged political and social crisis with corruption, scandals, violence and crime.

Just a month ago, the 38-year-old mayor of the port city of Manda, Agustin Idriago, was shot dead. As reported by local media, drug traffickers are using Ecuador’s ports with gunfire ringing in cities as rival gangs battle for control, even going so far as to recruit children.

Now, erstwhile election favorite Luisa Gonzalez is stressing that “when they tease one of us, they tease us all,” and Ecuador hopes to turn the page and return to what it once called, the island of peace, Isla de paz.