In a shocking incident, a candidate in Ecuador's upcoming presidential election was shot dead on Wednesday, BBC reported. According to the report, Fernando Villavicencio, a member of the country's national assembly, was attacked following an event in the northern city of Quito.
According to his campaign team, he was about to get into a car when a man stepped forward and shot him in the head.
The news was also confirmed by the incumbent President Guillermo Lasso who took to the social media platform, X, to extend solidarity and condolences to his family members. He assured the family that the accused would not be spared.
Suspect killed
"Outraged and shocked by the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. My solidarity and condolences to his wife and daughters. For his memory and for his fight, I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished," roughly translates the tweet of Lasso.
"The Security Cabinet will meet in a few minutes in Carondelet. I have asked the president of the CNE, Diana Atamaint; the State Attorney General, Diana Salazar; the President of the National Court of Justice, Iván Saquicela; and the other State authorities to attend this meeting urgently to discuss this fact that has dismayed the country," he added.
Ecuador’s attorney general’s office said a suspect in the assassination of Villavicencio died of wounds after being arrested by authorities.
Villavicencio-- a critical voice of corruption
Villavicencio was one of eight candidates, though not the frontrunner. The politician, 59, was the candidate for the Build Ecuador Movement. He was one of the most critical voices against corruption, especially during the government of former President Rafael Correa from 2007 to 2017. He filed many judicial complaints against high-ranking members of the Correa government.
It is worth mentioning that the country has witnessed a sudden jump in violent crimes in the recent past. Multiple media reports claimed that the growing presence of drug cartels in Ecuador has been a significant issue in the presidential campaign.
Earlier last month, the mayor of the city of Manta, Agustin Intriago, was also killed in a similar fashion. In February, the candidate for mayor in the city of Puerto Lopez was also assassinated in broad daylight.
Edison Romo, a former military intelligence colonel, said the complaints made Villavicencio “a threat to international criminal organizations.” Authorities confirmed that at least nine others were injured, including officers and a congressional candidate. They described the incident as a terrorist act and promised to get to the bottom of the killing.
