• The political party of Ecuador's assassinated presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio announced on Saturday that his running mate will contest the August 20 election. The country's electoral authority is yet to approve the move. Bloomberg
• Movimiento Construye chose the 36-year-old environmentalist Andrea González as its presidential candidate so as to "guarantee the legacy" of Villavicencio. The party is yet to choose a vice-presidential candidate. BBC News (LR: 3 CP: 5)
• However, Villavicencio's widow Verónica Sarauz deemed Construye's decision arbitrary and unlawful, as vice presidential candidates are not allowed to step down. Reuters
• Sarauz also alleged the state was "directly responsible" for the murder of her husband, as it allegedly failed to protect him while being in charge of his security. CNN
• Known as an anti-corruption crusader, Villavicencio was assassinated "hitman-style" by three shots to the head last Wednesday, after a campaign event at a school in the capital. ITN
• Six Colombian men were detained in connection with the killing, while the notorious Los Choneros gang leader Adolfo "Fito" Macías was moved from a lighter security jail, to a maximum-security prison on Saturday. Associated Press

Pro-establishment narrative:

• Democracy is on the ballot in the upcoming Ecuadorian election, as the country desperately needs to tackle organized crime. If the nation refrains from electing candidates representing authoritarian ideas both from the right and the left, then Washington must ramp up security cooperation with Quito to show that lawful methods do work against violent drug gangs.
  Washington Post (LR: 2 CP: 5)

Establishment-critical narrative:

• One must be disturbingly naive at best to believe that further US interference is what Ecuador needs after the killing of a presidential candidate who had long been a CIA asset. Though Villavicencio fabricated lies to boost the Russiagate invention and resolutely obstructed the impeachment of US-backed Guillermo Lasso, his candidacy had turned him into a liability for the Agency.
  Craig Murray