AMERICA/ECUADOR - Slain candidate: the Bishops' solidarity with the family

Thursday, 10 August 2023 politics elections bishops violence

ECUADOR

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Quito (Fides News Agency) - "We stand in solidarity with the victim's family, and we condemn every form of violence at all levels of society". This was how Ecuador’s Bishops expressed themselves in a statement after the killing of the presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio which took place yesterday, August 9 in Quito, the nation's capital.
"We join in with the initiatives to restore social security in our beloved Fatherland, while we ratify our firm commitment to praying and operating for a peace grounded in freedom, in justice and in truth", the statement of Ecuador's Bishops' Conference concluded. Villavicencio, a strong opponent of corruption and organized crime, was killed while getting into his car after an assembly. One of the assailants later died after being wounded in a shootout, and another six have been arrested so far, the office of the Prosecutor General stated. Nine people, including a parliamentary candidate and two police officers, were injured.
President Guillermo Lasso has declared a state of emergency, in addition to claiming that the crime was clearly an attempt at sabotaging the election, but he reiterated that voting will take place on August 20 as planned. (L.M.) (Fides News Agency 10/8/2023)