Another Politician Killed in Ecuador Ahead of Weekend Elections :

[ad_1]

A local politician in Ecuador was killed Monday, party officials said, less than a week after a presidential front-runner was gunned down at a campaign rally ahead of this weekend’s elections.

Pedro Briones, a member of the Citizen Revolution Party of former president Rafael Correa, and one of the movement’s leaders in the province of Esmeraldas on the border with Colombia, was killed by unknown gunmen.

“My solidarity with the family of comrade Pedro Briones, new victim of violence,” Luisa Gonzalez, one of the main presidential candidates, said on X, the social media platform formerly called Twitter.

“Ecuador is going through its bloodiest period,” said Gonzalez, a close former associate of Correa. She called the government inept and said the country has been taken over by organized crime gangs.

Correa added his condolences on social media: “They murdered another of our colleagues in Esmeraldas. Enough is enough!”

Neither the police nor the government immediately confirmed the attack but Ecuadoran media, citing a local police source, said the victim was shot at his home in the town of San Mateo by two men on a motorcycle who later fled.

The murder came less than a week after the August 9 killing, in the capital Quito, of one of the presidential favorites, the centrist Fernando Villavicencio.

The 59-year-old journalist was on a crusade against corruption and was in second place in the polls when he was shot as he left a campaign rally.

One of his main feats as a journalist was to have put the former president Correa, who served from 2007-2017, in the dock thanks to one of his investigations.

Correa, now living in Belgium, was sentenced in absentia to eight years in the case.

Most of Ecuador has been under a state of emergency and President Guillermo Lasso has blamed organized crime for the killing of Villavicencio.

Six Colombians were arrested as part of the probe into the assassination, and one was killed shortly after the attack by the candidate’s bodyguards.

[ad_1]

Source link : https://ticotimes.net/2023/08/15/another-politician-killed-in-ecuador-ahead-of-weekend-elections Author : Publish date : 2023-08-15 03:00:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source .

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31

Another Politician Killed in Ecuador Ahead of Weekend Elections :

Rural Women’s Constant Struggle for Water in Central America – El Salvador

‘Forever a pleasure’ – USMNT star Weston McKennie sends message following Copa America warm-up draw against Brazil

'Forever a pleasure' - USMNT star Weston McKennie sends message following Copa America warm-up draw against Brazil

Unveiling the Visionary Leaders Shaping Montserrat’s Future

US Troops Intensify Combat Drills in Panama as Venezuela Tensions Escalate

Epic Clash: Brazil and Paraguay Set for an Unforgettable Showdown!

Alarm Bells Ring: DENV-3 Raises Fears of Widespread Dengue Outbreaks in the Americas

Bad Bunny’s Daring Leap: Bringing Puerto Rico to the Super Bowl Spotlight!

Suriname Triumphs: A Historic Victory as the Nation is Declared Malaria-Free!

Heartbreaking Drone Strike: Were Two Trinidadians Victims of a U.S. Attack Near Venezuela?

Don’t Miss a Moment: Stream the Thrilling Uruguay vs. Peru Showdown in the Copa America Femenina Today!

Discovering the Untold Story: The 50-Year Quest for the U.S. Purchase of the Virgin Islands

Lawmakers Demand War Powers Vote as Tensions Rise Over Trump’s Venezuela Threat

Categories

Archives