A former mayoral candidate for the Ecuadorian city of Portoviejo, in western Manabi province, was murdered in the north of the city on Tuesday, police said.
A motorcycle with two people on board opened fire on the victim inside a vehicle which was parked in front of a security company, and the victim was identified as 41-year-old Jose Mendoza, Manabi police chief Fabary Montalvo said.
Mendoza, an expert lawyer in procedural law, was a leading figure in the “Gente Nueva” (“New People”) political movement of the 2023 local elections in Manabi, in which he came in second place.
The crime comes two months after two suspects were arrested for planning an attack against the mayor of Portoviejo, Javier Pincay.
Manabi province is one of the country’s most violent and the one with the largest military presence due to a rise in crime, according to local media reports.
