1 of 1 Verónica Sarauz, widow of Fernando Villavicencio, during a press conference on August 12, 2023 — Photo: Rodrigo Buendia/AFP Verónica Sarauz, widow of Fernando Villavicencio, during a press conference on August 12, 2023 — Photo: Rodrigo Buendia/ AFP
The information was released by Christian Zurita, who replaced Villavicencio on the presidential ticket. According to him, the presidential candidate’s widow was in a car when the criminal tried to attack her.
According to the police, a foreign man was arrested on suspicion of murder. He was on a motorcycle and carrying a gun. Zurita stated that the person responsible for the attack was Venezuelan.
Police described the case as “an isolated incident.”
Villavicencio was assassinated on August 9 as he left a rally in the north of the capital. Six Colombians were arrested after the crime. In addition, another man accused of shooting the politician died in an altercation with the candidate’s security guard.
Zurita replaced the murdered politician and came third in the August 20 election with 16% of the vote. The left Luisa González (34%) and the right Daniel Noboa (23%) will contest the second round on October 15th.
Ecuador has been facing a wave of violence related to drug trafficking for years.
“A country paralyzed by terror,” Zurita summarized.