Ecuadoran presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio shot dead after rally

Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was shot dead after a rally in the capital Quito City on Wednesday evening (Aug 9), local media reported, citing Interior Minister Juan Zapata.

A member of his campaign team told local media that a man came forward whenVillavicencio was about to get into his car and shot him in the head.

Villavicencio, a 59-year-old journalist, was one of eight candidates in the August 20 presidentialelection.The death was confirmed on social media by current president Guillermo Lasso.

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Videos circulating on social media purportedly showed Villavicenciosurrounded by his guards walking towards his carand as he gets inside, gunshots can be heard.

Trigger warning. Viewer discretion is advised

Quedó grabado el Momento exacto en que matan a Fernando Villavicencio!! pic.twitter.com/7kpqUzwzQ4 — Emergencias Ec (@EmergenciasEc) August 10, 2023

"For his memory and his fight, I assure you that this crime will not remain unpunished," Lasso said on the social media platform X.

"Organized crimes have gone very far, but all the weight of the law will fall on them (sic)," he said, adding that he has called on top security officials for an urgent meeting.

Last month, Lasso had declared a stateof emergency and night curfews in three provinces following a number of killings linked to organised crime.

The former lawmaker had been polling at 7.5 per cent voting intention.

For days, Villavicencio had been receiving threats and he even acknowledged it last week, saying that heand his team had been threatened by the leader of a gang linked to drug trafficking.

Villavicencio's campaign had focused on security, tackling corruption, a topic he had covered in an earlier career as a journalist, and reducing environmental destruction.

The presidential election is scheduled to take place on August 20.

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