Candidates vying for the presidency of Ecuador held campaign closing events this Thursday (17), before voting this weekend, in a dispute marked by the assassination of candidate Fernando Villavicencio, who stood against corruption.
More than 13 million Ecuadorians could go to the polls on Sunday (20) to elect a replacement for conservative President Guillermo Lasso, who called early elections to stop an impeachment process against him.
Candidates pledged to fight crime and improve the country’s struggling economy amid a sharp rise in violence attributed to drug traffickers and problems such as unemployment that have fueled migration.
Insecurity in Ecuador reached a tragic level last week when Villavicencio, a former investigative journalist and parliamentarian, was shot dead as he left a campaign event.
“The new government must be more decisive and courageous,” said Milton Oleas, 67, a construction worker who has yet to decide who to vote for. “The president cannot doubt what he does and must be courageous in taking decisions”, he added.
The candidates, who have beefed up security and kept their schedules limited since the assassination, were holding rallies and other events across the country.
Luisa González, former president Rafael Correa’s protégé, was leading polls before Villavicencio’s assassination, with around 30% of the vote.
She held a closing event in the capital Quito, on Wednesday (16), and had another big one planned for Guayaquil this Thursday (17).
González has pledged to use $2.5 billion of international reserves to shore up the economy if elected and bring back the social programs implemented by Correa — who was convicted of corruption — during his decade-long period in power.
“A firm hand against crime, against violence and against criminal gangs, but a hand of solidarity and love for our people. “We are going to take control of the country. It’s time to raise the homeland with dignity”, pointed out the candidate at the rally on Wednesday, in which Correa participated remotely from Mexico.
A candidate would need to get 50% of the vote, or 40% if he is 10 points ahead of his nearest rival, to win the first round. Otherwise, a runoff will take place on October 15.
Indigenous environmentalist candidate Yaku Perez, who ranked in the top five of eight candidates in recent polls, pledged a government by the people during an early morning demonstration in Quito.
Businessmen Otto Sonnenholzner and Jan Topic have planned rallies in Guayaquil, where violence is raging, and both have promised economic recovery and security.
Source: CNN Brasil
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