A mayoral candidate in Ecuador was elected posthumously hours after he was killed during a meeting with campaign staff, according to news reports.
Omar Menendez, 41, of Puerto Lopez, was shot and killed on Saturday when gunmen burst into a room where he was meeting with staff shortly before polling began. The BBC reported.
A few hours after the tragedy, Menendez, a left-wing candidate with the Urban Revolution movement, was elected mayor of the city. He will be replaced by another member of his party.
A youth was also killed in the attack. Although the motive remains unclear, the shooting comes amid a wave of drug-related violence in Ecuador.
The outlet confirmed that no arrests were made, although the suspects were seen fleeing on a motorcycle.
I A statement was shared on Twitter.Conservative President Guillermo Lasso condemned Menendez’s murder.
“The killing of candidate Omar Menendez will not go unpunished,” he wrote.
“We reject all forms of violence. Drug trafficking and organized crime have no place in Ecuador.
Menendez’s killing came two weeks before the shooting death of 45-year-old Salinas mayoral candidate Julio Cesar Faraccio.
According to the BBC, police have made an arrest in Fracchio’s murder. The accused was reportedly released from prison recently after serving a sentence for drug trafficking.
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