After Shocking Assassination, Ecuadorian VP Candidate Decries “Clear Links” Between Gov’t & Cartels

NOTE: An earlier upload of this interview included an incorrect on-screen graphic, which has been corrected in this version. Ecuador is reeling from the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, who was shot dead Wednesday after a campaign rally in the capital Quito less than two weeks before the August 20 general election. Villavicencio was running on a platform opposing corruption and organized crime. Authorities have arrested six Colombian nationals and say they are members of a drug trafficking group, but many questions remain about who was behind the murder. “We see that there are clear links between the current government and these mafia organizations,” says vice-presidential candidate Andrés Arauz, who is running mate to Luisa González of the Citizen Revolution Movement. “We need to take care of our democracy. We are really in a moment of great despair in Ecuador.” Arauz ran for president in 2021 and previously served as director of Ecuador’s central bank and a minister in former leftist President Rafael Correa’s government. Transcript: Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET. Support independent media: Subscribe to our Daily Email Digest: