An Ecuadorian legislative candidate was assassinated early Monday, just weeks ahead of the general elections on Aug. 20, authorities said on Tuesday.
Rider Sanchez, who was running for a seat in the National Assembly, was killed in the town of Quininde, in the northern coastal province of Esmeraldas.
He was shot several times and died shortly after in a hospital, according to local media.
โGiven the criminal attack in Quininde, Esmeraldas against an assembly candidate for the province of Esmeraldas, our specialised units have been deployed to locate the perpetrators,โ the National Police wrote on Twitter.
Sanchez was a candidate of the Actuemos alliance made up of the Avanza and SUMA parties, which is backing Otto Sonnenholzner for president.
โDay after day violence plagues us. We are shocked by the murder of Rider Sanchez, our candidate in the province of Esmeraldas,โ Sonnenholzner said.
โWe have a commitment: we will end this plague,โ he added, alluding to a wave of violence that has gripped Ecuador in recent months, generating fear among the population.
Ecuador will hold early elections following President Guillermo Lassoโs dissolution of the National Assembly in May amid a legislative push to impeach him.
Some 13.4 million Ecuadorians will be eligible to elect a new president and 137 members of the National Assembly. (Xinhua/NAN)