Luisa GonzĂĄlez, guarded by military personnel, after casting her vote in the first round of the Ecuadorian presidential race. Photo: Santiago Arcos/Reuters/File photo.
Luisa GonzĂĄlez, presidential election front runner in Ecuador for the Citizen Revolution (RC) Movement, decried that she has received death threats and announced that she is receiving military protection from the Ecuadorian government.
âToday I received threats against my life for being the most likely candidate to win the presidency,â GonzĂĄlez stated on Friday, September 1, in statements made to Radio Medio Mundo.
Such threats “constitute an attempt to restrict democracy.” “Instead of winning at the polls, there are those who are trying to take the life of a candidate,” she added.
“It is very worrying because a candidate was already murdered, and now I received a threat,” she said.
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GonzĂĄlez announced that she accepted President Guillermo Lasso’s offer of providing her with military security.
âI have to give you sad news. I am wearing a bulletproof vest,â the correista candidate said.
However, she added that speech should not be constrained in a bullet proof vest but it should be in the guarantee that all Ecuadorians have security.
.@LuisaGonzalezEc confirma que recibiĂł una alerta sobre un posible atentado en su contra.
Anuncia que ha aceptado la seguridad de las Fuerzas Armadas.
âEl discurso no se debe quedar en un chaleco sino en la garantĂa que debemos tener todos los ecuatorianos con la⊠pic.twitter.com/a0Au6TvsAj
— Confirmado.net (@confirmadonet) September 1, 2023
On Thursday afternoon, reports of a possible attack against the Citizen Revolution candidate filled social media after some people with grenades were arrested.
The commander of the Ecuadorian National Police, General Fausto Salinas, refused to confirm whether there was a plot against the RC presidential aspirant, but he confirmed the arrest of some individuals with explosives.
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This investigation is in the hands of the Attorney General’s Office, which can ratify or deny the suspects’ motivation, said Salinas.
Rafael Correa’s indignation
On Thursday, August 31, former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa (2007-2017) reported on social media that a man was arrested with weapons who declared that he wanted to kill GonzĂĄlez.
“We need to verify this. Can anyone do it? To hell with the Prosecutor’s Office and its “reserve” in the previous investigation. Hopefully it is fake news,” wrote the former president with evident indignation.
Nos dicen que han detenido a este tipo con armas y que declarĂł que era para un atentado contra Luisa.
Necesitamos verificar esto
ÂżAlguien lo puede hacer?
Que se vaya al diablo FiscalĂa con su «reserva» en la investigaciĂłn previa
ÂĄđȘđš necesita conocer!
OjalĂĄ sea una noticia falsa pic.twitter.com/wlAKWlxQqP— Rafael Correa (@MashiRafael) August 31, 2023
Ecuador is suffering an escalation of violence and insecurity, with frequent criminal attacks that claimed the lives of more than 4,500 people in 2022. The number of violent deaths is expected to increase in 2023, according to specialists.
Fernando Villavicencio, who was also a presidential candidate, was murdered on August 9, an event that shocked the country and shook the board prior to the first round of voting, impacting the chances of Luisa GonzĂĄlez to win in the first round.
Last week, Lasso ordered the Ecuadorian armed forces to provide protection to the candidates.
After the assassination of Villavicencio, the Lasso government has been questioned for not providing sufficient and proper security for the presidential aspirants.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SC/BLA
