After Shocking Assassination, Ecuadorian VP Candidate Decries "Clear Links" Between Gov't & Cartels

Ecuador is reeling from the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, who was shot dead Wednesday after a campaign rally in the capital Quito less than two weeks before the August 20 general election. Villavicencio was running on a platform opposing corruption and organized crime. Authorities have arrested six Colombian nationals and say they are members of a drug trafficking group, but many questions remain about who was behind the murder. We see that there are clear links between the current government and these mafia organizations," says vice-presidential candidate Andres Arauz, who is running mate to Luisa Gonzalez of the Citizen Revolution Movement. We need to take care of our democracy. We are really in a moment of great despair in Ecuador." Arauz ran for president in 2021 and previously served as director of Ecuador's central bank and a minister in former leftist President Rafael Correa's government.