Ecuador Election: People decide to contest elections so that they can bring change in their country by winning. Can improve people’s lives. But what if contesting elections becomes like ‘inviting death’. You go out to campaign and you get killed. My heart shuddered upon knowing this. However, there is a country where exactly similar incidents are coming to the fore these days.
Actually, we are talking about the South American country of Ecuador. A lot of violence is happening here these days amid the elections to be held in August. In the last 4 weeks, 3 leaders have been killed here. A presidential candidate leader was also involved in this. There is panic among the people because of the political killings happening in the country. People are feeling that if the leaders are not able to escape, then how will they be protected.
Ecuador’s Bloody Era
According to The Guardian’s report, Pedro Briones, the organizer of Citizen Revolution, the party of former President Rafael Correa, was shot dead on Tuesday. Another candidate and former minister involved in the presidential race, Luisa González, informed about the murder of Briones. He said that Ecuador is witnessing its bloodiest era. Luisa Gonzalez of the Citizen Revolution Party is leading the race to become the President.
Three leaders killed in four weeks
Pedro Briones was a popular leader in the rural areas of Ecuador. A week before his assassination, presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated in broad daylight. Villavicencio was critical of organized crime and corruption. In the last week of July, the mayor of Manta city, Augustin Intriago, was also shot dead. He was elected for his second term in May itself.
Why are leaders being killed?
Thousands of people have been murdered in Ecuador in the last three years. The biggest reason for this is the drug trafficking hub of the country. There are many dangerous drug cartels in Ecuador, who trade in narcotics. Cartels want their control from the streets to the jails. Whenever any leader criticizes these cartels, he comes under target. All the leaders killed recently were critics of the drugs cartel.
Gangs dealing in drugs do not like the government coming in their way. That’s why leaders and people who criticize them or obstruct business are killed every day. According to the police, 3,568 people were killed in the first six months of this year alone. Last year, 4,600 people lost their lives in different cartel violence.