The President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, ordered the Armed Forces to immediately protect the two candidates who are vying for the Presidency.

Quito.- “Our democracy is going to emerge strengthened from this electoral process, and for this, it is essential that the candidates have sufficient protection,” said the President on Twitter, referring to Luisa González and Daniel Noboa, the candidates who are to go on the second round of the elections, which will take place on October 15th.

Following the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, on August 9th, Lasso has been questioned for not guaranteeing sufficient security.

Villavicencio’s family announced recently that they will file a complaint against the President for willful omission. According to the family’s lawyer, they denounce the Ecuadorian State for the crime of murder.

“There was an intentional omission on the part of the authorities, and they failed to fulfill their role as guarantors. They did not watch over Villavicencio’s life, despite the threats against him,” the lawyer denounced.

The head of Villavicencio’s security detailed, that the lawyer and the victim’s relatives blamed Lasso, Interior Minister Juan Zapata, and Police Commander General Fausto Salinas. 

On the matter, the government of Ecuador rejected the accusations and called it “unacceptable” that someone considered that the authorities acted in a premeditated manner to “leave the presidential candidate abandoned”.

The crime against Villavicencio has been classified as a political plot, with growing doubts regarding the circumstances in which it occurred and the possible participation of the police and their security team. (PL)