Ecuador saw the assassination of yet another political leader Monday, just days after presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was gunned down at a campaign event in Quito.
Gunmen who were on a motorcycle shot and killed Pedro Briones, leader of the left-wing Citizen Revolution Party in Esmeraldas, while at his home in Ecuador’s northern Esmeraldas province, the BBC reported. Luisa González, a fellow member of the Citizen Revolution Party and a frontrunner in Sunday’s special presidential election, confirmed Briones’ death, The Guardian reported.
ALERT🚨 The leader of Ecuador’s Citizen Revolution party, Pedro Briones, has been shot dead. This is now the second assassination, after presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was killed last Wednesday. The Presidential election is set to take place on August 20. pic.twitter.com/I7D4zUCMnU
— Fiorella Isabel (@FiorellaIsabelM) August 15, 2023
“Ecuador lives its bloodiest time. We owe this to the total abandonment of an inept government and a state taken over by mafias. My solidarity hug to the family of comrade Pedro Briones, who fell into the hands of violence. The change is urgent!” González stated.
Briones’ death is the third political assassination in Ecuador this month and the second one in less than a week after Villavicencio was murdered in broad daylight at a campaign event August 9. Villavicencio campaigned against organized crime and corruption before he was gunned down 11 days before the country’s presidential election, according to The Guardian. (RELATED: Bomb Disguised As USB Drive Detonates In Ecuadorian Newsroom, Injuring TV Presenter: Reports)
Prior to Villavicencio’s death, Ecuador saw the assassination of the 38-year-old mayor of Manta, Agustín Intriago. Gunmen in a stolen truck reportedly shot Intriago July 23 while the mayor was inspecting public works within the city.