Ecuador declares state of emergency following assassination of presidential candidate promoting anti-corruption
PBS NewsHourAPR 2023
A fierce critic of the convicted and corrupt former socialist president Rafael Correa, Villavicencio had been threatened by drug traffickers as violence and drug cartels have been a hot topic in his campaign. It's not hard to realize that his assassination has exposed some of the covert links that are turning Ecuador into a narco-state — now it's time to connect the dots and take action.
Though undoubtedly a shocking tragedy, this killing shouldn't come as a surprise for those closely observing Latin America, as the region has seen political violence on the rise for a while amid growing populism. The mayor of the Ecuadorian port city of Manta was killed last month, and scores of politicians — including 35 candidates — were killed ahead of Mexico's 2021 midterm elections. Though it's sad, the data show this isn't rare.