A turning point event! The country has been "permanently changed" in the article. On the 10th, the President was
On August 10th, the website of The New York Times published an article titled "Ecuador is permanently changed after the assassination of the presidential candidate.". The article excerpt is as follows:
A presidential candidate from Ecuador was shot dead on the 9th, marking a dramatic turning point in the country. Just a few years ago, this country seemed to be a safe island among violent regions.
A video of candidate Villavesensio circulating online before his death. For many Ecuadorians, these shots echo a bleak message: their country has been permanently changed.
Political scientist Ingrid Rios from Guayaquil said, "I think this means the government has completely lost control, and so have the citizens."
Ecuador is a country on the west coast of South America with a population of 18 million, experiencing authoritarian governments, financial crises, large-scale protests, and at least one kidnapping of its president. However, it has never been shaken by wars related to drugs. This kind of war has been troubling neighboring Colombia, causing violence that has resulted in thousands of deaths, corrupting democracy, and causing hostility among citizens.
In the past five years, with the collaboration of foreign drug trafficking organizations with local prisons and street gangs, Ecuador's drug trafficking industry has become exceptionally strong. In just a few years, they have changed the entire country, extorting businesses, recruiting young people, infiltrating the government, and killing those who investigate them.
Ecuadorians can hardly ignore the problem that plagued Colombia in the 1980s and 1990s, where drug trafficking groups controlled most of the country and infiltrated the government.
On the 10th, some people began comparing the murder of Villavesensio to the shooting of Colombian presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan during the election process in 1989. Like Villavesensio, Galan is also a stern critic of the illegal drug industry. Galan's death still resonates in Colombia today, symbolizing the danger of openly opposing criminal forces and the country's inability to protect its citizens. Colombia is still working hard to combat the impact of the drug trafficking industry, which continues to affect the election process, causing thousands of deaths and displacement every year.
Villavesensio has served as a journalist, activist, and legislator. In this presidential election, he was one of the most outspoken individuals regarding the connection between organized crime and government officials. On the 9th, he arrived at a school in Quito and stood on the podium, shouting loudly against the criminal organization that conquered this country. Then, as he left the school, gunshots rang out.
Figueroa, a member of the campaign team who witnessed the shooting incident, gave an interview to The New York Times with a trembling voice. "Criminal organizations are too powerful," he said. "They have taken over our country; they have taken over the economic, police, and judicial systems." "We are very desperate," he said. "We don't know who will take over the future of the country."
59 year old Villavesensio rose to fame for opposing the left-wing movement of former President Rafael Correa. His assassination cast a shadow over the already controversial presidential election. Some Ecuadorians have started blaming his death on candidates supported by Correa. There is no evidence to suggest their involvement.
Other voters have indicated that they will turn to another candidate, Jan Topik, whose focus is on taking a tough line on security issues and has been responding to the promises of Salvadoran President Najib Bukker. Booker's tough stance on gangs, including large-scale imprisonment, has helped reduce violence.