Party of slain Ecuador candidate taps reporter as replacement / Photo: © AFP
-
Rene Eyre Revisits Autobiographical Performance 'Say A Little Prayer' in London
-
London Museum Granted 24/7 License Ahead of November Opening
-
UAE's HCT Holds Record Graduation and Announces Major Training Expansion
-
Dana White Confirms Flight to Washington for Trump Meeting on Press Secretary Role
-
NASA Awards $10B Lunar Contract Framework to SpaceX, Blue Origin
-
Dengue Fever Expands Into High Himalayas as Climate Change Warms Nepal
-
Katy Perry Tells Fans Ex-Husband Russell Brand 'Should Be in Jail' During UK Concert
-
IoT Refrigerator Hacks Disrupt Blood Labs and Supermarkets Across Europe and US
-
South African election results renew debate over identity-based voting
-
Post-election pressures complicate US and Israeli decisions on Iran
-
South African voters report smoother local election but declining IEC trust
-
UN members approve talks on treaty protocol against environmental crime
-
Dolly Parton museum and Nashville hotel open after singer’s death
-
Family-run West Sussex beach café prepares for first winter season
-
George and Amal Clooney attend New York political-comedy reading
-
CT scans reveal health and burial clues from Egypt’s Braided Lady mummy
-
British buyers pay substantial premiums for period-home appearance
-
Oxford faces complaints over lecturer’s classroom attire
-
Thomas Markle released to house arrest after child-abuse-image charge
-
Kyren Wilson and John Higgins reach International Championship snooker final
-
Dawn of War 4 developers chose Adeptus Mechanicus for tactical variety
-
New Zealand and Tonga meet for place in Rugby League World Cup final
-
Italy face unbeaten South Africa in Turin Nations Championship match
-
Reports of unsafe AI-toy responses renew calls for child-safety rules
-
ChatGPT interactive interface feature tested across six custom tools
Party of slain Ecuador candidate taps reporter as replacement
Ecuadoran journalist Christian Zurita will take the place of slain presidential cadidate Fernando Villavicencio in the South American country's elections later this month, the Movimiento Construye political party announced Sunday.
Villavicencio, a 59-year-old journalist himself and known for his anti-corruption crusades, was gunned down as he left a campaign rally in the capital Quito on Wednesday night.
The naming of Zurita as the party's candidate is a reversal from Saturday, when Construye had said Villavicencio's running mate, Andrea Gonzalez, would take the top spot on the bill.
But party officials worried that Gonzalez's candidacy might be thrown out by election authorities, since she was already registered as the vice presidential candidate for the August 20 vote.
Villavicencio had been polling at second place before his shock assassination.
President Guillermo Lasso has blamed the murder on organized crime.
Six Colombians have so far been arrested and another killed in the police investigation into the assassination.
At a news conference Sunday, Police Commander General Fausto Salinas said those apprehended for the murder had large prior criminal records, having committed an "infinity of crimes" related to weapons and drug trafficking, kidnapping and theft.
Interior Minister Juan Zapata said investigators were continuing to look into who might have ordered the killing of Villavicencio.
Imprisoned gang leader Jose Adolfo "Fito" Macias had allegedly threatened Villavicencio before he was slain.
Macias was transferred to a maximum security prison via a massive military and police operation on Saturday, but no specific gang has been officially blamed in the assassination.
Villavicencio's widow, Veronica Sarauz, blamed the state for her husband's death, accusing police of not adequately protecting him.
"This is a state crime because he was under the custody of the state through the police," she said during a news conference on Saturday.
She also blamed supporters of ex-president Rafael Correa, who was sentenced in 2020 to eight years in prison after Villavicencio had investigated him for corruption.
The day before his assassination, Villavicencio had filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor's Office, alleging irregularities in oil contracts negotiated during Correa's administration, estimating a loss to the country of around $9 billion.
J.Fankhauser--BTB