ECUADOR-BBG: Correa Party Objects To Slain Candidate's Replacement

Bloomberg reporting that the leftist Citizen Revolution party of presidential frontrunner Luisa Gonzalez, led by former President Rafael Correa, has issued a late objection to the inclusion of Christian Zurita on the ballot ahead of the 20 August election. Zurita, an investigative journalist, was selected by the centrist Movimiento Construye (MC25) to replace Fernando Villavicencio who was assassinated on 9 August.

• Bloomberg: "The head of Ecuador’s electoral authority, Diana Atamaint, confirmed that the objection arrived late on Tuesday night, shortly before a midnight deadline. [...] Citizen Revolution’s candidate, Luisa Gonzalez, has led in the polls, but her lead slipped in one survey taken after Villavicencio’s killing, with anti-crime hard-liner Jan Topic and Zurita gaining ground."
• The decision of the electoral authority could have a major impact on the outcome of the presidential vote. Zurita, a close friend of Villacivencio's and much like the latter aninvestigative journalist, could experience a notable boost in support at the ballot box. Public anger at the violence that has claimed the lives of three politicians in recent weeks and seen the nation, once viewed as one of the most politically stable and secure in the region, slide into gang violence, has risen significantly and the anti-corruption Zurita could come through in second place behind Gonzalez as a result.

Source: Tracking, Comunicaliza, Estrategas Infinity, Cedatos, Numma, Mercanalis, Data Encuesta, Click Report, Telcodata, MNI