Hundreds of supporters of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, shot dead on Wednesday, gathered in Quito this Friday to pay tribute to him before his burial.
Villavicencio’s body was transferred in the afternoon to the auditorium of an exhibition center in the north of the city, amid complaints from his brothers who denounced that they were not allowed to enter the intimate wake due to family differences.
At the place of honours, his supporters waved small flags of Ecuador, which is facing an onslaught of violence linked to drug trafficking.
Huge banners bearing the face of the politician, who was allegedly killed by Colombian gunmen as he left a rally in Quito on Wednesday, hung on the walls.
“My Power in the Constitution”said a symbolic presidential band placed on the coffin covered by the national flag.
A giant screen showed videos of the candidate during his campaign tours for the anticipated general elections on August 20, in which he was profiled as the second with the highest voting intentions.
For this case there are six detainees; all Colombians. Another suspect, also Colombian, died after a confrontation with security from Villavicencio.
“The day before yesterday they riddled democracy, the day before yesterday they mutilated part of the fight against corruption”said Antonio López, his campaign manager, during the tribute.
A former investigative journalist and former congressman, Villavicencio was known for his constant denunciations of million-dollar cases of corruption, especially in the oil sector.
“I will fight until I identify (the culprits) and not leave this unpunished”said his friend and journalist Christian Zurita, with whom he conducted an investigation that brought former socialist president Rafael Correa (2007-2017) to the bench, who ended up sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison for corruption.
“Live without fear”
Villavicencio, a former member of the National Assembly dissolved by Lasso in May to put an end to a “serious political crisis”, which gave way to early elections, was the second favorite with 13.2% of the intention to vote, behind the lawyer Luisa González (26.6%), close to Correa.
Tamia, one of the candidate’s three children, recalled the last conversation she had with her father, who encouraged her to study music.
“With tears in his eyes he told us: I have been more than I thought”the 27-year-old told the press, who sang a song in memory of Villavicencio on the outskirts of the wake.
At his family’s requests that he wear protection such as a bulletproof vest, he recalled: «He taught us to live without fear, that living without fear is our greatest protection in life».
After the crime, Ecuador decreed on Thursday a state of emergency for 60 days, which allows the mobilization of the military to the streets, and announced that it will receive help from the FBI to investigate the unprecedented incident.
President Guillermo Lasso also declared three days of national mourning and accused the “organized crime” of having executed the candidate.
Villavicencio, who last week reported being threatened by the leader of a detained drug gang, is the latest victim of fatal attacks on politicians.
During the current campaign, the mayor of the coastal city of Manta (southwest), Agustín Intriago, was shot dead while touring a municipal project, as well as an aspiring deputy.
Two other mayoral candidates also died when they were attacked before the local elections in February.
Ecuador, formerly an oasis of peace in the middle of Colombia and Peru, the world‘s largest cocaine producers, closed 2022 with a rate of 26 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, a record in the nation with 18.3 million inhabitants.
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