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Four of the seven presidential candidates from Ecuador met this Friday in Quito to reach an agreement on a proposal that gives a way out of the insecurity crisis that the country is experiencing, deepened after the murder of Fernando Villavicenciothe eighth applicant, riddled with hitmen last Wednesday.
The environmentalist Yaku Pérez, the businessman Xavier Hervas, the former vice president Otto Sonnenholzner and the independent Bolívar Armijos have signed a “Agreement for the security and social peace of Ecuador” aimed at supporting initiatives aimed at strengthening policies against crime.
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In the agreement, which has also been signed by Andrea Gonzalezthe vice-presidential candidate in electoral formula (binomial) with Villavicencio, the applicants have committed to “join efforts for the future to guarantee governance and support any initiative that is aimed at providing security to the people of the Ecuador”.
In the operative part, the agreement holds the Government of the conservative president responsible William Lasso “due to the exponential increase in criminal and political violence that the country is going through” and demands “urgent actions to provide sufficient guarantees for the life of Ecuadorians and the electoral process”.
“We demand that the Government execute, with a sense of urgency, the security budget. They are killing us and thousands more could be killed, if things continue as they are in the three months that this government has left.”was remarked in the agreement.
He also expressed the solidarity of the signatories “with loved ones and supporters of Fernando Villavicencioother assassinated political leaders, and of the more than 4,000 victims of criminal violence in Ecuador”.
“We repudiate this assassination that marks a painful page of unprecedented blood in national history” and “We demand speed, transparency and rigor in National government in the investigative process for the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio”was noted in the agreement released jointly by the signatory candidates.
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Finally he remarked that “It is necessary to find truth, justice and comprehensive reparation in this and all the crimes that have occurred in the country”.
Said agreement was signed in the middle of Villavicencio’s funeral, whose body was laid to rest in a convention center and later buried in a cemetery located north of Quito.
Former legislator Luis González, close to the former president Rafael Correa (2007-17)businessman Daniel Noboa and security expert Jan Topic, the other presidential candidates, did not sign the agreement.
Next Sunday, August 20, Ecuadorians will elect a president and the new members of the National Assembly (Parliament).
If none of the candidates for the Presidency achieves a sufficient majority of votes on that date, a second electoral round would be held in November between the two most voted.
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Source: Elcomercio
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
