In statements to the radio station Radio Medio Mundo, González denounced that such events have an impact on democracy if, instead of winning the elections, they aim to take the life of a candidate, he noted.
“It is very worrying because democracy is affected and a candidate has already been assassinated. And actually they sent me the warning,” he warned.
González announced that he had accepted President Guillermo Lasso’s request that the armed forces protect him.
However, the candidate for the leadership of the executive pointed out that the speech must not remain in a vest, but in the guarantee that all Ecuadorians must have with security.
This Thursday afternoon, reports of a possible attack on the RC candidate filled social networks after the arrest of people with grenades.
The commander of the National Police, General Fausto Salinas, indicated at a press conference that he could not answer whether a plan was being prepared against the candidate, although he confirmed the arrest of people with explosives.
That investigation is in the hands of the prosecutor’s office, an institution that can confirm or deny the suspects’ motivation, Salinas said.
Previously, on Thursday, former President Rafael Correa (2007-2017) reported on his account on the platform
We have to check this. Can someone do that? Let the prosecution go to hell with their “caveat” in the previous investigation. Ecuador needs to know! “I hope it’s fake news,” the former president wrote with obvious concern.
Ecuador is suffering from an escalation of insecurity, with frequent crimes claiming the lives of more than 4,500 people in 2022, and the number of violent deaths is expected to be even higher in 2023, according to experts.
Fernando Villavicencio, also a presidential candidate, was assassinated back on August 9, an event that shocked the country and rocked the table ahead of the first round of elections.
Last week, Lasso ordered the armed forces to protect those seeking to replace him at Carondelet Palace.
After the attack on Villavicencio, the president was questioned for failing to guarantee adequate security to candidates for the leadership of the executive branch.
Villavicencio’s family announced that they would file a lawsuit against the president for willful neglect and failure to fulfill his role as guarantor of security.
Amid this violent scenario, in this South American nation there are less than 45 days until the electoral event in which Ecuadorians will elect the next president in a runoff between González and Daniel Noboa of the National Democratic Action alliance.
mgt/nta