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☆ Ecuador should hold violent convicts on prison boats, says presidential hopeful Noboa
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Yury Garcia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

GUAYAQUIL, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Ecuador should strengthen controls at its borders and ports to fight drug trafficking and isolate its most violent criminals on prison boats, presidential candidate Daniel Noboa said on Tuesday. Noboa, son of prominent banana businessman and perennial presidential hopeful Alvaro Noboa, was a surprise second-place finisher in the weekend first round of Ecuador's presidential election, winning 23.5% of the vote. "We should reinforce the border, have a military presence at the borders, a military presence at the container ports because that's where the drugs leave from," Noboa told reporters in Guayaquil. Prison boats could take 300 to 400 each of the country's most violent criminals some 80 miles (130 km) out to sea, he said. "It is important to totally isolate the violent criminals, who from prison generate terror and plan more crime," Noboa said.

Persons: Daniel Noboa, Noboa, Alvaro Noboa, Luisa Gonzalez, Rafael Correa, Yury Garcia, Alexandra Valencia, Julia Symmes Cobb, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Security, Reuters, El, Thomson Locations: GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador, South America, Guayaquil, Quito

CNN —Ecuadorians have voted to ban oil drilling in one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, the Yasuní National Park, situated in the Amazon rainforest. The Yasuní National Park park spans around 1 million hectares (2.5 million acres) at the meeting point of the Amazon, the Andes and the Equator. In 2016, the Ecuadorian state oil company began drilling in Block 43 – around 0.01% of the National Park – which today produces more than 55,000 barrels a day, amounting to around 12% of Ecuador’s oil production. Yasunidos, an environmental collective, has been pushing for the vote to ban drilling in the park for a decade. “This referendum presents a huge opportunity for us to create change in a tangible way,” Helena Gualinga, an Indigenous rights advocate from a remote village in the Ecuadorian Amazon, told CNN.

Persons: CNN — Ecuadorians, Rafael Correa, Fernando Santos, ” Santos, ” Helena Gualinga, Yasunidos, Mitch Anderson, Fernando L, Ecuadorians, ”, Luisa González, Daniel Noboa Organizations: CNN, Electoral, Movimiento Revolución Locations: Ecuador, Europe, North America, Ecuadorian

Gonzalez, a protege of former President Rafael Correa who has promised to revive his social programs, won 33% support, while Noboa, son of prominent banana businessman and former presidential candidate Alvaro Noboa, was a surprise second-place with 24% of the vote. The contest was darkened by the assassination of anti-corruption candidate Fernando Villavicencio earlier this month. The crime is still under investigation, but Villavicencio, who was replaced as a candidate by his friend and fellow investigative journalist Christian Zurita, came third with 16%. Noboa seemingly gained support after performing well in the only televised debate of the campaign. Reporting by Alexandra Valencia and Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Luisa Gonzalez, Daniel Noboa, Ecuador's, Gonzalez, Rafael Correa, Noboa, Alvaro Noboa, Fernando Villavicencio, Villavicencio, Christian Zurita, Sharp, Correa, Guillermo Lasso, Alfredo Espinosa, Espinosa, " Espinosa, Villavicencio's, Alexandra Valencia, Julia Symmes Cobb, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Amazon, Thomson Locations: QUITO, Quito, Choco

☆ Ecuador election: assassinations cast a grim shadow as country selects a new president
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Nearly 100,000 troops will be dispatched to ensure public safety and order across Ecuador on election day, Ecuador’s government says. Friends, family members and supporters of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio attend a tribute at Quito Exhibition Center. Henry Romero/ReutersEverything to play forAnything could happen in Sunday’s presidential vote, say analysts, who point to the killing of Villavicencio as potentially changing voters’ preferences. Journalist and presidential candidate Christian Zurita gestures next to his running mate, vice presidential candidate Andrea Gonzalez (R), in Quito on August 13, 2023. Ecuador presidential candidate Yaku Perez looks on as he arrives to participate in a presidential debate, in Quito, Ecuador August 13, 2023.

Persons: CNN —, Fernando Villavicencio, Otto Sonnenholzner, Guillermo Lasso, Henry Romero, ”, Laura Lizarazo, “, Glaeldys González, …, Pedro Briones, Luisa González, Rafael Correa, Lizarazo, Rodrigo Buendia, Correa, González, Villavicencio, Christian Zurita, Andrea Gonzalez, Martin Bernetti, Moreno, Erika Paredes, Marcos Pin, ” Lizarazo, Yaku, Yaku Perez, Karen Toro, El, Nayib Bukele –, Bukele, Jan, Vicente Gaibor del Pino Organizations: CNN, Quito Exhibition Center, Reuters, ”, Crisis, Movimiento, Getty, CNN En, Construye’s, Alianza Actuemos Locations: Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, United States, Guayaquil, Esmeraldas province, Quito, AFP, Belgium, Samborondon

Gonzalez is set to face the surprise second-place finisher Daniel Noboa in a run-off election in October, according to the National Electoral Council of Ecuador (CNE), as neither candidate won more than 50% of the ballot. Ecuador presidential candidate Daniel Noboa makes remarks as he arrives to participate in a presidential debate on August 13. Crime has topped the agenda of this year’s presidential race, which was punctuated by the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, an outspoken anti-corruption journalist. Gunfire interrupted Noboa’s caravan on Thursday as he was traveling in Guayas province, but authorities say the presidential candidate was not the target of the incident. But the winner of October’s run-off vote will have relatively little time to work on a solution.

Persons: CNN — Luisa González, Gonzalez, Daniel Noboa, Ecuadorians, Diana Atamaint, González, Rafael Correa –, Álvaro Noboa –, Guillermo Lasso, Karen Toro, Fernando Villavicencio, Pedro Briones, Christian Zurita, October’s Organizations: CNN, Movimiento Revolución, Sunday, Electoral, Accion Democratica Nacional, Electoral Council Locations: Ecuador, Belgium, Esmeraldas province, Guayas, Quito, Russia, Ukraine, China, Bangladesh

☆ Ecuador votes in historic referendum that could democratize climate policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Hannah Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The people of Ecuador are heading to the polls – but they’re voting for more than just a new president. Among the species found in the Yasuní National Park, is the harpy eagle, the second largest bird of prey in the world. Aerial picture of the Tiputini Processing Center of state-owned Petroecuador in Yasuni National Park, June 21, 2023. A crude oil sample taken from an oil well in Yasuní National Park, where the referendum vote could mean leaving the crude oil in the ground indefinitely. Rodrigo Buendia/AFP/Getty Images“This referendum presents a huge opportunity for us to create change in a tangible way,” she told CNN.

Persons: Carl De Souza, ”, Pedro Bermo, It’s, Rafael Correa, Correa, Rodrigo Buendia, “, Fernando Santos, Alberto Acosta, Helena Gualinga, Antonia Juhasz Organizations: CNN, Getty, Tiputini Processing, ” Energy, “, Twitter, Ecuadorian Amazon, Human Locations: Ecuador, Ecuadorian, Europe, North America, Ecuador’s, AFP, Yasuní, “

Six suspects, all Colombians police say belong to criminal gangs, are being held in the murder. Other candidates have reported attacks against them, though in several cases police have said that violence was not directed at the hopefuls themselves. Luisa Gonzalez, a protegee of Correa, led polling before Villavicencio's murder with about 30% of voting intention. Pro-market candidate Otto Sonnenholzner has hardened his discourse since Villavicencio's murder, repeatedly promising that criminals who use violence will be shot by police under his government. "The new president must propose things that are real, not just words," said university student Menaly Luge, 18, who is voting for Villavicencio's Construye party.

Persons: Otto Sonnenholzner, Christian Zurita, Luisa Gonzalez, Fernando Villavicencio, Monica Barba, Rafael Correa, Correa, Daniel Noboa, Alvaro Noboa, Yaku Perez, Villavicencio's, Zurita, Alexandra Valencia, Julia Symmes Cobb, Oliver Griffin, William Mallard Organizations: Law, French Foreign Legion, Thomson Locations: Guayaquil, Ecuador, Quito, QUITO

☆ After killing of Ecuador candidate Villavicencio, speculation and recrimination
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Police said last week their investigation includes questions about why an armored vehicle normally used by the candidate was in Guayaquil and not with Villavicencio on the day of the murder. "He should have had a much stronger (security) structure," Patricio Carrillo, a former interior minister and legislative candidate who was with Villavicencio at the event where he was murdered, told Reuters. After the event, Villavicencio exited out the front of the sports center, where many people had gathered, Carrillo said, adding that he himself had stayed inside chatting to some friends. Christian Zurita, Villavicencio's replacement candidate for the Construye party, was also at the sports center on the day of the murder. Correa, who in office regularly clashed with Villavicencio, has called the killing a false flag operation to hurt his Citizen's Revolution party.

Persons: Fernando Villavicencio, Villavicencio, Patricio Carrillo, Carrillo, Villavicencio's, Christian Zurita, Guillermo Lasso, Luisa Gonzalez, Rafael Correa, Correa, Gonzalez, Alexandra Valencia, Julia Symmes Cobb, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Police, Reuters, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: QUITO, Quito, Guayaquil, Ecuador

☆ Factbox: Top five candidates vying for presidency of Ecuador
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

She was leading voting intention with about 30% in recent polls, though no polls have been published since Villavicencio's killing. The 54-year-old widower has promised to fight crime with better social programs and data-driven security policies. OTTO SONNENHOLZNERSonnenholzner, a 40-year-old businessman and economist, has promoted himself as a young policymaker seeking to bring "peace, money and progress" to Ecuador. JAN TOPICTopic, 40, a private security and telecommunications businessman, has promised security would be his first and most important focus if elected. Already-printed ballots will show Villavicencio's name and photo, but the electoral authority has said votes will be counted for his replacement.

Persons: Yaku Perez, Henry Romero, Guillermo Lasso, Fernando Villavicencio, LUISA GONZALEZ Lawyer Gonzalez, Rafael Correa, Gonzalez, Correa, YAKU PEREZ, Perez, Carlos, Yaku, OTTO SONNENHOLZNER Sonnenholzner, Lenin Moreno, Moreno, Sonnenholzner, El, Nayib Bukele, CHRISTIAN ZURITA Zurita, Zurita, Fernando, Alexandra Valencia, Oliver Griffin, Julia Symmes Cobb, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, French Foreign Legion, Central, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Quito, Ecuador, Rights QUITO, Here's, Belgium, Choco, Ukraine, Central American

☆ Ecuador presidential hopefuls close campaign clouded by violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Christian Zurita, who is replacing slain presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, and vice presidential candidate Andrea Gonzalez gesture after a news conference, in Guayaquil, Ecuador August 16, 2023. Candidates have pledged to fight crime and improve the struggling economy, amid sharply rising violence blamed on drug traffickers and unemployment woes, which has increased migration. Luisa Gonzalez, a protege of former President Rafael Correa, led polling before Villavicencio's murder with about 30% of voting intention. "We are committing to have zero tolerance for corruption, for organized crime, for all structural violence." Businessmen Otto Sonnenholzner and Jan Topic have rallies planned in Guayaquil, where violence has been acute, and have both promised economic reactivation and security.

Persons: Zurita, Fernando Villavicencio, Andrea Gonzalez, Vicente Gaibor del Pino, Guillermo Lasso, Milton Oleas, Luisa Gonzalez, Rafael Correa, Gonzalez, Correa, Yaku Perez, Perez, Otto Sonnenholzner, Villavicencio's, Christian Zurita, Alexandra Valencia, Julia Symmes Cobb, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: Guayaquil, Ecuador, Rights QUITO, Quito, Mexico

☆ Ecuador election: political violence and insecurity loom large as Ecuadorians get ready to vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Rafael Romo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It has also brought international attention to the powerful criminal organizations driving the violence that has plagued Ecuador. “By the very fact that we’re not controlling our borders, we’re getting an influx of money that is literally corrupting the country,” Topic added. Topic told CNN that while he admires Bukele, he would be more careful when it comes to respecting human rights. Andrea González Náder – who was Villavicencio’s running mate – told CNN that the fight against criminal gangs and corruption was Villavicencio’s main objective when he was alive. Those aims have not changed, she told CNN from a secret location in Ecuador, which police asked CNN not to reveal for her protection.

Persons: Ecuador CNN — Gissella Cecibel Molina doesn’t, Fernando Villavicencio, Fernando, ” Molina, ‘ Fernando Villavicencio, ’, ”, Molina, “, Villavicencio, Juan Zapata, Fernando Villavicencio's assasination, Karen Toro, Pedro Briones, Agustin Intriago, Walker Vera, Pity Guzman, Rodrigo Buendia, Bukele, doesn’t, Andrea González Náder –, –, Martin Bernetti, Luisa González, Rafael Correa, “ I’ve, Gustavo Petro Organizations: Ecuador CNN, National Assembly, CNN, “, Reuters, Manta, Ecuadorian National Police, United Nations Office, Drug, Getty, French Foreign Legion, Electoral Council, Citizen Revolution Movement, European, Colombian, Zetas Locations: Quito, Ecuador, Ecuador’s, “, Esmeraldas province, Muisne, South America, United States, Europe, Colombia, Mexico, Balkans, AFP, Ecuadorian, European Union

☆ Ecuador presidential hopeful Zurita promises better policing, social programs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Ecuadorean presidential candidate Christian Zurita, who has replaced assassinated presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, speaks during an interview with Reuters prior to Sunday's presidential election, in Quito, Ecuador August 15, 2023. REUTERS/Henry Romero Acquire Licensing RightsQUITO, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Ecuador presidential hopeful Christian Zurita, who is running in place of his friend, slain candidate Fernando Villavicencio, said on Tuesday he would better equip the police and enshrine intelligence protocols to fight crime, and use international loans to shore up social programs. Like his predecessor, Zurita is an investigative journalist known for tracking alleged corruption. The two men worked on 300 investigations together over the last decade, Zurita, 53, told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. Villavicencio's death must be thoroughly investigated, Zurita added, and given how much corruption Villavicencio exposed, the suspect list is long.

Persons: Christian Zurita, Fernando Villavicencio, Henry Romero, Villavicencio, Fernando, Zurita, There's, SLB, Rafael Correa, Luisa Gonzalez, Correa, Alexandra Valencia, Gary McWilliams, Julia Symmes Cobb, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Schlumberger, Thomson Locations: Quito, Ecuador, Rights QUITO, Houston

☆ Ecuador awaits funeral for assassinated presidential candidate
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

QUITO, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Supporters of assassinated Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio have been hosting gatherings in his memory and waiting to see whether his family on Friday will give details of plans for his funeral. Villavicencio's body was released to two family representatives, including his lawyer, on Thursday, according to the attorney general's office. Some family members are believed to be outside Ecuador and traveling back for the funeral. Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio waves an Ecuadorian flag as he attends a rally in Quito, Ecuador August 9, 2023. Violence in Ecuador has surged in recent years, especially in cities along drug-trafficking routes like Guayaquil and Esmeraldas where citizens say they live in fear.

Persons: Ecuadorean, Fernando Villavicencio, Villavicencio's, Villavicencio, Rafael Correa, Luisa Gonzalez, Correa, Guillermo Lasso, Lasso, Karen Toro, Alexandra Valencia, Julia Symmes Cobb, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Albanian mafia, REUTERS, Albanian, Thomson Locations: QUITO, American, Ecuador, Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca, Esmeraldas

☆ Fernando Villavicencio assasination: How corruption and gang warfare transformed Ecuador
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But the high-profile assassination on Wednesday of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio could be a turning point for the country that has so far struggled to control the bloodshed. Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio ran on an anti-corruption platform prior to his death. Floundering authoritiesSecurity and state forces have been badly unprepared for the rise of criminal groups in the country. A a car transports the body of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio on August 10. Last year, the US withdrew visas from high-ranking officers of Ecuadorian state security forces, alleged to be linked to drug trafficking, as well as several judges and lawyers.

Persons: CNN —, Fernando Villavicencio, ” Juan Pappier, Watch’s, “, Karen Toro, Laura Lizarazo, ”, ” Lizarazo, Ecuador’s, Guillermo Lasso, Lizarazo, Eric Farnsworth, –, Villavicencio –, El, Nayib Bukele, Luisa González, Rafael Correa, Vicente Gaibor del Pino Organizations: CNN, Customs, Border Patrol, Ecuadorian, Reuters, Lobos, of, Americas Society, Security Locations: Ecuador, ”, Peru, Colombia, Europe, Washington, Americas

Police officers work outside the rally site where Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was killed at a campaign event in Quito, Ecuador August 9, 2023. REUTERS/Karen ToroQUITO, Aug 10 (Reuters) - The murder of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio has made some voters more wary of going to the polls on Aug. 20, making an unsettled election even harder to forecast. Voters said they were afraid of more bloodshed, with some weighing whether to comply with mandatory voting rules. "I am scared and I'm thinking about whether to go vote," said Quito manicurist Margarita Alvarado, 45. "The assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio complicates what is already an atypical and complex political crisis in Ecuador," said Verisk Maplecroft chief analyst Jimena Blanco and lead Americas analyst Eileen Gavin in a note.

Persons: Fernando Villavicencio, Karen Toro QUITO, Margarita Alvarado, couldn't, Alvarado, pollster Cedatos, Verisk, Jimena Blanco, Eileen Gavin, Villavicencio's, Villavicencio, Luisa Gonzalez, Teneo, Rafael Correa, Gonzalez, Correa, Guillermo Lasso, Lasso, Paulina Recalde, Perfiles, Recalde, Fernando, Santiago Avilez, Alexandra Valencia, Tito Correa, Julia Symmes Cobb, Brad Haynes, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Voters, Twitter, Albanian mafia, Thomson Locations: Quito, Ecuador, Americas

☆ Ecuador presidential candidate Villavicencio assassinated
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

QUITO, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Ecuador presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, a vocal critic of corruption and organized crime, was killed on Wednesday evening during a campaign event in northern Quito, authorities said. The violence injured nine other people, including a candidate for the legislature and two police officers. [1/5]Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio speaks during a campaign rally in Quito, Ecuador August 9, 2023. This vile act will not go unpunished!," presidential candidate Luisa Gonzalez, who is running for Correa's party, said on X.Indigenous candidate Yaku Perez said he had decided to suspend his presidential campaign and demanded the violence stop in a video posted after the incident. May God have him in his glory," presidential hopeful Jan Topic said on X, before also suspending his campaign.

Persons: Fernando Villavicencio, Villavicencio, Guillermo Lasso, Construye, Karen Toro Villavicencio, Rafael Correa, Correa, Luisa Gonzalez, Yaku Perez, Otto Sonnenholzner, God, Jan, Alexandra Valencia, Valentine Hilaire, Isabel Woodford, Julia Symmes Cobb, Lincoln Organizations: Local, Interior Ministry, Albanian, Manta, REUTERS, Lasso, Thomson Locations: QUITO, Ecuador, Quito, Andean, Chimborazo, Alausi, Peru, Belgium, Carolina

Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio waves an Ecuadorian flag as he attends a rally in Quito, Ecuador August 9, 2023. REUTERS/Karen Toro/File PhotoAug 10 (Reuters) - Fernando Villavicencio, the Ecuadorean presidential candidate gunned down in Quito on Wednesday, was no stranger to threats and intimidation from powerful figures in Ecuador. Villavicencio also denounced high-ranking executives in Ecuador's oil, mining and power industries – and even big foreign companies including Chinese oil behemoths, Brazilian engineering firms and global oil trading firms. The murder is the first of a presidential candidate in Ecuador's history. A year later, in 2014, Villavicencio went on the run to avoid imprisonment for alleged defamation of then-President Correa.

Persons: Fernando Villavicencio, Karen Toro, Long, –, Rafael Correa, Correa, Villavicencio, I'm, Villavicencio's, Guillermo Lasso ., Steven Grattan, Joshua Schneyer, Brad Haynes, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, Mexico's, Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, Prensa, The Workers Press, National Assembly, Lasso, Thomson Locations: Quito, Ecuador, Belgium, Mexico's Sinaloa, Peru, China, London, New York

☆ Reaction to killing of Ecuador presidential candidate Villavicencio
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

QUITO, Aug 9 (Reuters) - The following are reactions to the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio on Wednesday. Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio speaks during a campaign rally in Quito, Ecuador August 9, 2023. AMBASSADOR TO ECUADOR MIKE FITZPATRICK"I am deeply dismayed to learn of the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio, presidential candidate and fighter against the corruption and narco-criminals who have done so much damage to Ecuador." PARAGUAY'S PRESIDENT-ELECT SANTIAGO PENA"We repudiate and condemn the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. HONDURAN PRESIDENT XIOMARA CASTRO"We strongly condemn the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

Persons: Fernando Villavicencio, GUILLERMO LASSO, Mayor Intriago, Fernando, RAFAEL CORREA, LUISA GONZALEZ, DANIEL NOBOA AZIN, XAVIER HERVAS, Karen Toro, MIKE FITZPATRICK, SANTIAGO PENA, XIOMARA CASTRO, Alexandra Valencia, Isabel Woodford, Valentine Hilaire, Caroline Pulice, Lincoln Organizations: OF, AMERICAN STATES, REUTERS, U.S, AFFAIRS MINISTRY, Ecuadorian, MINISTRY OF, Thomson Locations: QUITO, OF ECUADOR, Ecuador, Quito, Government, Chile, Ecuadorian Government, Mexico City

☆ Assassination of presidential candidate shocks Ecuador
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

QUITO, Aug 10 (Reuters) - The assassination of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio shocked the South American country, where rising drug-related violence is a major concern for voters, leading some of his rivals to suspend campaigning. Nine people, including a candidate for the legislature and two police officers, were injured, it added. "Ecuador has become a failed state," Correa, who now lives in Belgium, said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. [1/4]Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio speaks during a campaign rally in Quito, Ecuador August 9, 2023. Indigenous candidate Yaku Perez and law-and-order hopeful Jan Topic both suspended their campaigns, while businessman Otto Sonnenholzner begged the government to take action.

Persons: Ecuadorean, Fernando Villavicencio, Guillermo Lasso, Lasso, Rafael Correa, Villavicencio, Correa, Karen Toro, Luisa Gonzalez, Yaku Perez, Otto Sonnenholzner, Construye, Alexandra Valencia, Julia Symmes Cobb, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Albanian, Manta, Thomson Locations: QUITO, American, Quito, Ecuador, Peru, Belgium

☆ Who is Fernando Villavicencio, the anti-corruption candidate shot dead in Ecuador?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, shot dead on the campaign trail on Wednesday, was known as a tireless anti-corruption campaigner and investigative journalist. Villavicencio’s campaign promised a crackdown on crime and corruption amid a deadly escalation of violence that has gripped Ecuador in recent years. Villavicencio was shot as he left the campaign event pictured here. Correa filed a defamation lawsuit against Villavicencio, and he was later convicted to 18 months in prison as a result. Villavicencio went on the run to avoid detention, and gave an interview to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in 2014.

Persons: Fernando Villavicencio, CNN En, Villavicencio, Rafael Correa, Correa, “, ”, ” Villavicencio Organizations: CNN, Ecuadorian, National Assembly, CNN En Español, Prensa, Workers Press, Villavicencio, Protect Journalists, TV Locations: Ecuador, Peru, Peruvian, TV Peru

☆ Ecuadorean votes could bar oil output in Amazon reserve, mining near Quito
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

But oil and mining guilds say their industries are needed to shore up Ecuador's battered economy and that bans would expose the areas to illegal mining and deforestation. Outgoing President Guillermo Lasso, who moved ahead elections after lawmakers attempted to oust him, has failed to raise oil production or attract more mining investment as violence and social problems have worsened. A "yes" vote in both referendums could complicate finances for his successor. State oil company Petroecuador says a "yes" on the Yasuni referendum would cost the country $13.8 billion in income over the next two decades. But residents say mining will threaten high altitude wetlands, water and animals like the spectacled bear.

Persons: Read, Ecuadoreans, Guillermo Lasso, Santiago Pérez, Ramon Correa, Correa, Rafael Correa, Pedro Bermeo, Bermeo, Petroecuador, Australia's SolGold, Maria Eulalia Silva, Morelia Fuentes, Alexandra Valencia, Tito Correa, Karen Toro, Julia Symmes Cobb, Marguerita Choy Organizations: ITT, Environmental, Reuters, Voters, of Mining, Mining, Thomson Locations: Orellana, Orellana province, Ecuador, QUITO, Quito, Choco, North America, State, Pastaza

☆ Mayor of Ecuadorian city of Manta assassinated in brazen attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

QUITO, July 23 (Reuters) - The mayor of the Ecuadorian Pacific port city of Manta, Agustin Intriago, was assassinated on Sunday, authorities said, in a brazen attack that stunned the political establishment. Police said the 38-year-old Intriago, who was re-elected as mayor of Manta in February, had been inspecting public works in the city at the time of the attack. The municipal government of Manta said on its Twitter account that Intriago had been shot dead. He emerged unscathed from the attack, but a policeman was killed and several other people were wounded, media reported. Intriago belonged to a local political party in Manta, a city of well over 200,000 inhabitants.

Persons: Agustin Intriago, Juan Zapata, Manta, Intriago, Guillermo Lasso, Rafael Correa, Alexandra Valencia, Diane Craft, Sonali Paul Organizations: Police, Manta, Interior, Twitter, Duran, Thomson Locations: QUITO, Ecuadorian Pacific, Manta

☆ Candidates enter race for Ecuador's crowded early elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

QUITO, June 14 (Reuters) - Eight candidates have registered to run in Ecuador's presidential elections in August, the electoral court said on Wednesday, kicking off a campaign to fill the spot to be left early by current President Guillermo Lasso. Lasso, in May, dissolved the legislature and cut his term short to avoid impeachment proceedings against him. Those elected in August will hold office until May 2025, when regularly scheduled elections will take place. Indigenous leader Yaku Perez will represent a political coalition in his second run for the presidency. Former Vice President Otto Sonnenholzner, who resigned in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic ravaged Ecuadorean cities, will also run.

Persons: Guillermo Lasso, Ecuadoreans, Lasso, Rafael Correa's, Luisa Gonzalez, Yaku Perez, Perez, Otto Sonnenholzner, Alexandra Valencia, Kylie Madry, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Lasso, Constituent Assembly, Conservative Social Christian Party, PSC, Thomson Locations: QUITO

A court in Ecuador sentenced Correa to eight years in prison in 2020 over accusations he broke campaign finance laws. His party, Citizen Revolution, was the biggest party in the assembly with 47 seats before Lasso dissolved it. The former lawmakers from Citizen Revolution will run in the snap election, Correa said, adding that he hopes the party wins at least 50 seats. Lasso - who has said he will not run in the upcoming elections - will rule by decree until the snap election, with laws subject to approval by the Constitutional Court. Any laws issued by decree - including an earlier move by Lasso to loosen gun controls - will be targeted following the election by Citizen Revolution politicians in government or the legislature, Correa said.

☆ Ecuador president dissolves legislature, bringing elections forward
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso testifies at the National Assembly, as part of the impeachment process against him for alleged corruption, in Quito, Ecuador May 16, 2023. REUTERS/Karen ToroQUITO, May 17 (Reuters) - Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly in a decree on Wednesday, bringing forward legislative and presidential elections, a day after he presented his defense in an impeachment process against him. Ninety-two votes form the 137-member legislature would have been needed to remove Lasso from office. Those voted into power in the early elections would only serve until the regularly-scheduled 2025 elections take place. The impeachment process was the first against a Ecuadorean president in decades.

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