Luisa González, presidential candidate of Ecuador for the left-wing opposition movement Citizen Revolution (RC) said this Friday that the country is experiencing an escalation of violence “unprecedented”.

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González, the main contender against current president Daniel Noboa on April 13th runoff elections, said “The country is in the grip of crime and the government continues to fail to act.”

The presidential candidate denounced that in “less than 24 hours, more than 40 murders.” In the Nueva Prosperina sector, northwest of Guayaquil, a massacre was recorded on Thursday that left 22 dead, and there are already at least six people arrested, all members of a criminal gang.

“I demand immediate action. No more improvisation. Regain control, protect people and end terror in the streets and jails,” he said.

González concluded with the following message: “Govern, do not distribute resources while people die. No more excuses. Ecuador demands leadership and results NOW”.

In addition, this Friday, the Service of Integral Care to Adult Persons Deprived of Liberty (SNAI) reported that five prisoners were found dead in the Penitentiary of the Coast, the largest of this South American nation.

Criminal gangs are behind the escalation of violence that led to Ecuador ranking in 2023 as the country in Latin America with the highest homicide rate, while 2025 has begun as the most violent year since records were made, with an average of approximately one murder per hour.

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