A mayoral candidate in the Ecuadorian city of Puerto López who was assassinated just hours before polls opened has won the election, reports said Tuesday.
Omar Menéndez, 41, was a leftist candidate for the Revolución Ciudadana movement before he was shot dead on Saturday by a gunman who broke into a room where Menéndez was with his campaign team.
Police are still investigating the attack which also left a teenager dead, the BBC reported.
Ecuadorian mayoral candidate Omar Menéndez won his election after his assassination. (Facebook / Omar Menéndez mayoral campaign)
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The motive behind the attack remains unclear, though it comes as violent drug-related crime has skyrocketed across the country.
Menéndez campaigned to make Puerto López a safe place not only for its citizens, but as a way to boost the local economy by ensuring safety for tourism, sustainability, productivity, and efficient government in a plan he called “Five all for five”, as the vote took place on February 5.
“The country is bleeding to death. This is unprecedented,” said former President Rafael Correa and a senior official of the Revolución Ciudadana movement, according to local outlet TeleSur. “Enough.”
Menéndez’s death was not the only apparent murder ahead of this year’s local elections, as Salinas city mayoral candidate Julio César Farachio was also shot dead last month.
Supporters of Ecuadorian mayoral candidate Omar Menéndez take to the streets two days before the elections. (Facebook/Omar Menendez Mayor’s Campaign)
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The suspect in Farachio’s murder was arrested and reportedly served a previous sentence on drug trafficking charges.
The suspects involved in the Menendez shooting have not been apprehended after fleeing the scene on motorcycles.
According to the local media outlet, men dressed in black and wearing hoods to cover their faces posted a video claiming responsibility for Menendez’s attack.
The alleged assailants said they were “vigilantes” who were taking out people allegedly linked to drug trafficking in the region.
Mayoral candidate Omar Menéndez, right, with supporters in Ecuador wins the election after his assassination. (Photo: Facebook/Omar Menéndez campaign for mayor)
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Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso condemned the attacks, though supporters of the Revolución Ciudadana movement called on him to do more to counter the political violence.
“We cannot bear this wave of violence any longer,” the group said in a statement, according to TeleSur. “Step aside, if you don’t know how to govern or how to guarantee our lives.”
