[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