Following the assassination of a presidential candidate, Ecuadoran President Guillermo Lasso imposed a two-month state of emergency on Thursday, but vowed to hold general elections later this month.
“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,” Lasso said in an address broadcast on YouTube.
The president also declared three days of national mourning “to honor the memory of a patriot, of Fernando Villavicencio Valencia.”
Villavicencio, 59, was shot dead on Wednesday evening as he was leaving a rally in the capital Quito.
According to recent opinion polls, the centrist politician and anti-corruption crusader, who had complained of getting threats against himself and his team, was the second most popular contender in the country’s August 20 presidential race.
Prosecutors claimed nine other individuals were hurt in the incident, including a candidate for the national legislature and two police officers.
Security forces shot and killed one of the accused attackers.
Prosecutors also said six other suspects were arrested in raids carried out in southern Quito and in a neighboring town.
“This is a political crime that acquires a terrorist character and we do not doubt that this murder is an attempt to sabotage the electoral process,” Lasso said.
Diana Atamaint, President of the National Electoral Council, adding that “the date of the elections scheduled for August 20 remains unalterable.”
Ecuador has been rocked by a wave of violence linked to drug trafficking in recent years.
Following a jail massacre and the murder of a mayor, Lasso announced a state of emergency in Duran and the coastal provinces of Los Rios and Manabi at the end of July.