In a stark reminder of the escalating violence that has plagued southern Ecuador, former mayor Ronald Farfan and city‑council candidate Cristhian Rugel were shot dead in an armed attack in Huaquillas on Monday night, just days before the nation’s November 29 local elections, Xinhua reported.
The killings were witnessed by local media and confirmed by the National Police, who said the two men were shooting through a gathering in the Los Israelitas neighborhood when the attack unfolded. The pair were attending a campaign rally with supporters, according to police statements.
Police investigators are probing a range of possible motives, including “threats and extortion by criminal groups,” according to the Xinhua account. The province of El Oro has already recorded nearly 1,000 homicides to date in 2026—about 50 percent more than in the same period last year—highlighting the region’s heightened risk of violence, the outlet added.
Investigation and Background
El Oro’s local elections, scheduled for November 29, will see voters selecting provincial prefects, vice‑prefects, mayors, urban and rural city councilors, and members of rural parish boards, a detail cited by Xinhua. The twin murders underscore the danger that candidates face in a country where political polarization and criminal influence are believed to intersect, the report noted.
The National Police have not yet named any suspects and are continuing to gather evidence. No official statement has been released regarding who may have carried out the attack or their exact motives beyond the preliminary hypothesis of criminal group involvement.
The incident has drawn international attention to Ecuador’s fragile election environment, with local media warning that the killings could influence voter turnout and the overall security of the electoral process. Elections authorities have condemned the violence and vowed to safeguard the forthcoming vote, mentioning the need for increased security measures during the campaign period.
