"Ecuador has become a failed state," Correa, who now lives in Belgium, said on X. He fled to Indigenous territory within Ecuador and later was given asylum in Peru. Villavicencio was an outspoken critic of former President Rafael Correa and was sentenced to 18 months in prison for defamation over statements made against the former president. Late night marches decrying the murder took place in several cities, including Villavicencio's hometown of Alausi. Villavicencio, from the Andean province of Chimborazo, was a former union member at state oil company Petroecuador and later a journalist who denounced alleged millions in oil contract losses. The candidate, a former unionist and journalist, had Tuesday made a report to the attorney general's office about an oil business, but no further details of his report were made public. Villavicencio opposed the suspension, it said, saying "keeping silent and hiding in moments when criminals assassin citizens and authorities is an act of cowardice." The party said discussions had been held recently about whether to suspend campaigning due to political violence, including the July murder of the mayor of Manta. Villavicencio's party Movimiento Construye said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that armed men attacked its Quito offices in a separate incident. According to opinion polls, his support was at 7.5%, ranking him fifth out of eight candidates. Villavicencio had pledged to combat corruption and reduce tax evasion if elected. Security concerns, along with employment and migration, are major voter concerns in presidential contest. Lasso's government has blamed rising violence on the streets and in prisons on criminal infighting to control trafficking routes used by Mexican cartels, the Albanian mafia and others to move drugs.
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