A Presidential Candidate's Assassination Deepens Ecuador's Security Crisis

In Ecuador, the assassination of a presidential candidate signals increasingly brazen political violence that could see more voters support tough-on-crime politicians in the Aug. 20 election. On Aug. 9, unknown assailants shot and killed centrist presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in the capital of Quito during a campaign event, less than two weeks before Ecuador is set to hold general elections. In response, Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso declared a 60-day nationwide state of emergency. He also said the military would be mobilized to guarantee security during the upcoming election, but that the vote would still proceed as planned. The government has yet to identify the perpetrators, but Villavicencio's campaign was heavily focused on rooting out corruption and the influence of criminal organizations in the Ecuadorian government. A day before his assassination, Villavicencio had reportedly received threats from the Los Choneros cartel, one of Ecuador's largest criminal organizations....