Ecuador’s presidential candidate Villavicencio assassinated
Ecuador’s popular presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio has been assassinated at a campaign rally in the capital Quito.
Villavicencio was one of the most critical voices against corruption.
Surrounded by supporters and security guards, he was fatally wounded by several gunshots while heading for a waiting vehicle as he left the event on Wednesday evening.
Villavicencio, 59, was the second most popular candidate in the presidential race, according to recent opinion polls.
He was one of the few candidates to allege links between organized crime and government officials in the South American country.
President Guillermo Lasso reacted to the assassination of the former investigative journalist. He said the tragic incident had to do with “organized crime.” The president also declared a two-month state of emergency across the country.
In a televised address made after midnight, Lasso said he was both "outraged and shocked by the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio."
"For his memory and for his fight, I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished," he vowed, flanked by cabinet members and electoral authorities.
"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."
The outgoing president also declared three days of national mourning "to honor the memory of a patriot, of Fernando Villavicencio Valencia."
Villavicencio had complained of receiving death threats.
"I want to say to those who want to threaten the state, we will not hand over the power and the democratic institutions to organized crime even though it is disguised as political organizations,” President Lasso said.
"This is a political crime, which has the character of terrorism, and we do not doubt that this murder is an attempt to sabotage the electoral process," he added, vowing that elections would not be suspended.
Ecuador has historically been a relatively safe and stable country in Latin America, but a shocking surge in violent crime has swept the country in recent years, with rival drug-trafficking gangs perpetrating prison massacres. Between 2020 and 2022, murder rates more than doubled.
"Organized crime has gone too far but they will feel the full weight of the law," Lasso said.
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