"They told me I'd better wear a bulletproof vest, but here I am, wearing a sweaty shirt. You are my bulletproof vest! You are brave people, you are the ones protecting me. Let the drug bosses come. Let the killers come, and the extortionists! The time of threats is over. I am here. They may threaten me, but they will never break me."
That was presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio speaking at a rally in Ecuador, shortly before he was killed. Gunned down, in broad daylight. Just one and a half weeks before Ecuador’s presidential elections in August. The small South American country, which used to have a reputation of a safe haven in the region, now has one of Latin America’s highest murder rates – surpassing Mexico and Brazil. What went wrong?
Ecuadorians went to the polls this past Sunday to vote for a new president in a run-off vote. The majority of voters, 52 percent, chose 35-year-old Daniel Noboa who beat his opponent, leftist lawyer Luisa Gonzalez. The center-right banana entrepreneur is set to be the country’s youngest president when he takes office later this year.
Elections were triggered when now outgoing President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly back in May before lawmakers could go through with an impeachment vote against him. Under the government of Lasso, the narco violence exploded. Nearly a dozen politicians were assassinated. One of them was candidate Fernando Villavicencio.
President-elect Noboa, who rose to prominence after he appeared at a debate in a bullet-proof vest after the assassination of Villavicencio, has vowed to return peace to the country. His term will only run through May 2025 which is what remains of Lasso's tenure.
How did Ecuador become such a hub for drugs, for cocaine? How did things spiral so out of control? Anne Herrberg went to investigate in this in-depth feature – it's presented by Jennifer Collins.