On Tuesday, June 27, a campaign office of the left-wing Citizens’ Revolution Movement (RC) party was attacked with explosives in Huaquillas city in the El Oro province of Ecuador. The attack took place when the center was being inaugurated to support the election campaign of Luisa González and Andrés Arauz, presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the RC, respectively, in the province.
The incident was recorded on camera. In videos shared on social media networks, a loud explosion was heard and people gathered at the venue were seen running and screaming. After it was confirmed that nobody was harmed in the attack and that there weren’t serious damages to the facilities, the people gradually returned to their posts and the event resumed.
Lieutenant Colonel Luis Suarez, police chief of the Huaquillas district, reported that after receiving alerts from citizens about a strong explosion, several officers rushed to the political rally. He said that the attendees told them that someone threw some object that had exploded. He also said that the officers couldn’t find an explosive device in the place, but added that the police would continue the investigation and verify what the cameras recorded.
The attack, which occurred just two months before the early general elections scheduled for August 20, was condemned by various political leaders.
Former president and founder of the RC party Rafael Correa shared two videos of the incident and assured that it was an attack against the Citizens’ Revolution Movement. “Attack when we were inaugurating a campaign center in Huaquillas. What did they do to you,” he lamented in a tweet.
Likewise, Prefect of Pichincha and a RC member, Paola Pabón, expressed her solidarity and demanded that “the government and authorities investigate and identify those responsible for these unacceptable acts, and put a stop to violence in the country.”
For her part, former legislator Paola Cabezas deemed the attack “unacceptable” and stressed that “this cannot go on like this.” She requested that “the public forces redouble their efforts to guarantee that this [electoral] process is not tarnished by terrorist acts.”
Luisa González, who is leading the voting intention with 27.95% of the votes, also called on the government to investigate and find those responsible. She said that “acts like this confirm to us that the Homeland can’t wait any longer, Ecuador needs peace,” and called on the citizens to vote for the Citizens’ Revolution on August 20.
On Wednesday, June 28, the RC party released a statement rejecting the attack. “We reject all acts of violence, we are a Movement that promotes democratic coexistence in a peaceful environment. The detonation of an explosive device during a political act of our militancy in Huaquillas outrages an entire country, it only shows the cowardice and absence of proposals of those who are experts in destroying. They will not be able to stop us! Soon we will be a country of peace again,” stated the RC.
Since January 2022, Ecuador has been witnessing a concerning spike in criminal violence. Assassins have been targeting judicial officials and killing police officers as well as citizens at record rates. The government of incumbent conservative president Guillermo Lasso, who is leaving office years early, has failed to improve the situation.
Lawyer and former labor and tourism minister Luisa González, who is running for the presidency with economist and former presidential candidate Andrés Arauz, has promised to increase investment in public sectors and restore security in the country, among other measures.
Analysts believe that the RC presidential ticket has the greatest possibility of winning the upcoming elections, considering the recent victories scored in local elections in February.
