QUITO, Aug 10, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Ecuadoran President Guillermo Lasso declared a state of emergency for 60 days throughout the country on Thursday after the shooting murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

"The Armed Forces as of this moment are mobilized throughout the national territory to guarantee the security of citizens, the tranquility of the country and the free and democratic elections of August 20," Lasso said in an address broadcast on YouTube.