Ecuadorian presidential candidate shot dead
10 Aug 2023 10:58am
(FILES) Former Assembly member and now presidential candidate, Fernando Villavicencio, gestures outside the Attorney General's Office in Quito on August 8, 2023. Presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was shot to death on August 9, 2023 after a rally in Quito. (Photo by Rodrigo BUENDIA / AFP)
Unknown gunmen fired at the 59-year-old as he got in a car following a political rally in Quito around 6.20 pm (2320 GMT) on Wednesday, local media reported.
The South American country's attorney-general's office said a suspect was badly injured in an exchange of fire with security personnel, and later died while in custody.
Prosecutors said nine people were injured in the attack, including a parliamentary candidate and two police officers.
Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso said he was "outraged and shocked by the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio", promising the crime would not go unpunished.
Lasso said authorities would meet later on Wednesday evening to "urgently deal with this act which shocked the country".
"Organised crime has gone too far, but the full weight of the law will be applied," Lasso continued.
Villavicencio was the presidential candidate for the Build Ecuador Movement, and was in fourth or fifth place in recent polls.
As a journalist and member of parliament, he had repeatedly criticised the widespread corruption in Ecuador.
Early presidential and parliamentary elections are set to be held in Ecuador on Aug 20. These had become necessary after Lasso dissolved the National Assembly in the midst of impeachment proceedings against him for alleged embezzlement.
Ecuador is in the midst of a political crisis. Approval ratings for the government and Parliament are very low.
Violence in Ecuador has recently increased significantly. The number of homicides rose last year from 2,115 to 4,603. The homicide rate of 25 per 100,000 inhabitants was the highest in the country's history. -Bernama/dpa
